Andean Challenge (Official, November 2023)

Tngy · #1

ANDEAN CHALLENGE 2023

GOAL:
Watch as many films from the Andean regio of South America (plus Chile and Venezuela) as you can. Discuss them.

Challenge runs from November 1, 2023 to November 30, 2023 in your local time zone.

Eligible countries:
Bolivia
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Peru
Venezuela

RULES
- Each feature film (over 40 minutes) counts as one entry.
- 80 minutes of short films or miniseries/TV episodes counts as one entry.
- Films must be watched one at a time and at single speed (not sped up).
- Rewatches are allowed and are good for the soul.
- Please include year of release when listing your viewings.
- Please indicate each film's country when listing your viewings otherwise your score will NOT be included in the leaderboard.
- Do not edit your posts to add new watches, just create a new one.
- Try to give an indication of how much you liked/disliked your watchings (reviews, comments, ratings,...)
-Just a quick note but please think about whether the film submitted qualifies for the challenge. A number of Andean films are co-productions with non-eligible countries. Please use some common sense to determine whether these films really represent Andean cinema.

Lists:
Official:
CineChile's 50 Best Chilean Movies of All Time

These lists also focus on these regions but additionally include Mexico, Cuba, Brazil and several other excluded countries:
Cien años sin soledad: Greatest Latin American Films
Cinema Tropical's Best Latin American Films 2000-2009
Cinema Tropical's Best Latin American Films 2010-2019
UNESCO (Includes Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela)

Unofficial:
Ernesto Ayala's Best Chilean Films of the 21st Century
Bolivia's Ministry of Culture's 12 Essential Films
Jerónimo Rivera's 100 Unmissable Films of Colombian Cinema
Venezuelan submissions for Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award
Cinencuentro's Favorite Peruvian Films
12 Best Ecuadorian Movies of All Time

Leaderboard:

Rank	Participant	Count
1	Ataraxic	40	6	7	10	5	6	6
2	gunnar	22	0	22	0	0	0	0
3	frwnk	18	0	8	3	0	2	5
3	sol	18	1	5	8	1	2	1
5	FilmWalrus	12	2	6	1	1	1	1
6	pitchorneirda	10	1	2	2	1	2	2
6	Tngy	10	0	5	2	0	2	1
8	coffeejazzlofi	8	3	1	1	1	1	1
8	jdidaco	8	0	8	0	0	0	0
10	DudeLanez	6	2	3	1	0	0	0
11	blocho	4	2	2	0	0	0	0
11	peeptoad	4	1	0	0	1	1	1
13	Melvelet	2	1	1	0	0	0	0
13	Obgeoff	2	0	2	0	0	0	0
13	ororama	2	0	0	1	0	0	1
13	RogerTheMovieManiac88	2	0	2	0	0	0	0
17	AB537	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
17	Hunziker	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
17	Mario Gaborović	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
	Total:	171	19	75	29	10	17	21

gunnar · #2

Thanks for hosting, Tngy. I'm looking for bronze on the CineChile list so that's what I'll be working on here this month. I don't know if I'll have time to explore more from the other lists, but we'll see.

sol · #3

Thanks for stepping up to host, tanguy.

Did we want to rename the Challenge to simply Andean, or would that not be an accurate description of the region? I suggested that change here.

Tngy · #4

I'm okay with renaming the challenge, if there aren't any objections.

gunnar · #5

I think it's fine as is, but don't have any problem with it being renamed.

sol · #6

I think Andean is shorter and less confusing. It's also more accurate since the three Guianas are part of South America, so the title should technically be "South America excl. B/A/U/P/Guianas" if we leave it as.

But I don't want to offend anyone from the region if Chile and Venezuela don't identify as Andean.

sol · #7

Really excited about this challenge. I have a bunch of promising stuff lined up and my first viewing was a great start to the challenge.

1. To Kill a Man (2014) Chile

Constantly threatened and harassed by a local thug, a working class father takes matters into his own hands when the police refuse to do anything about the thug repeatedly violating his restraining order in this thriller. The film really works due to the mounting fear/dread it captures in its characters with a perfectly moody music score and shots that are deliberately framed so that we cannot see bystanders who end up entering the frame. The revenge act itself is really interesting too, mostly photographed in long distance with minimal close-ups, and in fact most of the thug's terror is shown in long shot too.

peeptoad · #8

1. La chica del lago (2021, Ecuador) 4

sol · #9

Spoiler

1. To Kill a Man (2014) Chile

2. Quicksand (2023) Colombia

Following a couple who become stuck in quicksand in the middle of nowhere, this horror movie stretches out its simple premise surprisingly well as the couple try not to wriggle around and panic (to avoid sinking faster) but invariably do when everything from angry ants to a venomous snake approaches. The two vacationers are also doctors - something that adds quite a bit into the mix as they are able to diagnose their poison risks and so on without worrying about exaggerating their fates. Less dynamic is the additional fact that they are getting divorced with the quicksand bringing them back together.

peeptoad · #10

2. Sicario (1994, Venezuela) 7

vistas!

1. La chica del lago (2021, Ecuador) 4

Tngy · #11

1. La Casa del Fin de los Tiempos The House at the End of Time (2013) 5.5 - Venezuela
2. Trauma (2017) 7.0 - Chile
3. Quicksand (2023) 6.5 - Colombia

sol · #12

Spoiler

1. To Kill a Man (2014) Chile
2. Quicksand (2023) Colombia

3. The Club (2015) Chile

Following the suicide of an abusive priest, a "Vatican bureaucrat" visits the cottage where the priest was staying with other excommunicated Catholic Church leaders in this intriguing drama. Even without the suicide, the set-up is interesting with the priests living together in various stages of denial over what they may have done to be excommunicated. And the priests are no longer safe as a now-adult abuse victim's taunts led to the suicide, providing a strong set-up as the victim and priests cannot coexist. The film is let down though by a ridiculous final 20 minutes with animal violence for shock value.

Mario Gaborović · #13

01. Latino Bar (1991) - Venezuela

sol · #14

Spoiler

1. To Kill a Man (2014) Chile
2. Quicksand (2023) Colombia
3. The Club (2015) Chile

4. Memoria (2021) Colombia

Plagued by strange noises that nobody else can hear, a woman tries to work out whether or not the sounds really exist in this meditative drama. Clocking in at close to two and a half hours with very deliberate pacing, this is not the breeziest watch out there, but there is a fantastic minutes-long sequence in which she tries to recreate the sound in an audio mixing studio. There are also several interesting shots with nothing moving at all, with only ambient audio indicating that the film has not frozen. A hospital visit is particularly eerie in this regard, and our reliance on sound throughout feels thematically on point.

And for anybody wondering about the eligibility of this international co-production, it was Colombia's Oscar submission.

AB537 · #15

1. Araya (Margot Benacerraf, 1959) 6.5/10 ... #Venezuela

Obgeoff · #16

1. El Conde (2023, Larrain) 7 [Chile]

frwnk · #17

1. No (2012) #Chile
2. La casa del fin de los tiempos (2013) #Venezuela
3. El abrazo de la serpiente (2015) #Colombia

DudeLanez · #18

1. The Battle of Chile: Part I (1975, Patricio Guzmán) 6,5/10 #Chile
2. The Battle of Chile: Part II (1976, Patricio Guzmán) 7/10 #Chile
3. The Battle of Chile: Part III (1979, Patricio Guzmán) 6,5/10 #Chile

blocho · #19

1. No (2012, Chile)
Other than a montage sequence, this movie opts for realism. The film stock looks 1980s vintage, the dialogue is naturalistic, and the editing is jarring, mimicking the randomness of actual life. Realism has its place in cinema, but I don’t think it works here. It leads to a lot of random, pointless scenes, and it detracts from the movie’s actual focus, which is an examination of campaigning as the interface of political ideology and advertising. That’s a fascinating topic, one the movie delves into, though not quite as much I wanted it to.

2. Chile '76 (2022, Chile)
A former nurse married to a rich doctor is asked by her priest to provide secretive medical care for a fugitive who has been shot in the leg. Given the time and setting of the title, we know he’s not a common thief as the priest claims. This is a slow burn thriller that relies a bit too much on its intrusive score to generate tension. There isn’t much here in terms of narrative or character development. This functions best as a mood piece, a portrait of the pervasiveness of tension and fear under a violent autocracy, even though politics are barely mentioned. Still, it’s not much to hang a movie on. There was room here for a lot more.

gunnar · #20

1 - The Battle of Chile: Part I (1975) - 7/10
2 - The Battle of Chile: Part II (1976) - 7/10
3 - The Battle of Chile: Part III (1979) - 7/10 - Chile - These three films look at the political unrest and the coup that overthrew Salvador Allende in Chile in 1973. The filmmakers had to smuggle the footage out of Chile and one of their crew was disappeared by the military junta. It's an interesting look at the events of which the CIA definitely played a role. The US obsession with fighting communism often had some really negative outcomes.

4 - The Moon in the Mirror (1990) - 5.5/10 - Chile - A bedridden former sailor lives with his adult son who looks after him. They live in Valparaiso near the top of one of the local funiculars. The son would like to get away with the woman that he loves, but the father is domineering and does what he can to keep his son with him. The father uses a variety of mirrors to see what is going on in other parts of the home.

5 - Largo Viaje (1967) - 8/10 - Chile - Chilean neorealism with a few characters whose lives intersect. The main character is a small boy from the slums of Santiago who ends up lost and wandering around the city where a wide variety of people are going about their daily (and nightly) business. He's on an errand that is pretty important to him, but doesn't know how to complete it. I thought it was pretty good.

sol · #21

Spoiler

1. To Kill a Man (2014) Chile
2. Quicksand (2023) Colombia
3. The Club (2015) Chile
4. Memoria (2021) Colombia

5. Utama (2022) Bolivia

An elderly farming couple are visited by their grandson who tries to convince them to move to the city here. Bolivia's wide open plains nicely vary well between beautiful in the daytime and creepy at night. What really resonates in the film though is the grandfather's stubbornness, unwilling to leave or even consider the possibility. At first, it seems to be a matter of pride, but it soon becomes evident that he has health problems and his breathing seems to get heavier, louder and more present as the film progresses. The whole audio design of the film though is fantastic, including unusual sound effects style music.

sol · #22

Spoiler

1. To Kill a Man (2014) Chile
2. Quicksand (2023) Colombia
3. The Club (2015) Chile
4. Memoria (2021) Colombia
5. Utama (2022) Bolivia

6. Monos (2019) Colombia

Placed in charge of a human hostage and a milk cow with no adult supervision, a group of child soldiers become divided about whether or not to tell their superiors the truth after they accidentally kill the cow in this gritty jungle set drama. While several plot details are vague and ill-explained (who exactly the hostage is; why they have been "gifted" the cow), the whole thing essentially works with what little we know as we soon witness gripping in-fighting and division among the group, all stemming from their inability to agree, even after voting, about what to do. Divine images and great Mica Levi score too.

jdidaco · #23

Thank you for hosting, Tngy!

1. El ídolo (The Idol, Pierre Chenal, 1952) 8/10 (Chile)
2. El Conde (Pablo Larraín, 2023) 6.5/10 (Chile)

gunnar · #24

6 - En la cama / In Bed (2005) - 5/10 - Chile - A couple who met at a party spend the night at a motel where they have long discussions inbetween bouts of sex. It was only infrequently interesting.

7 - Historias de fútbol (1997) - 6/10 - Chile - Three stories are told that revolve around football in some way. The first one is about a talented player who is hoping to get noticed by a higher league, the second is about a group of kids who get a football that is kicked out of the stadium during a match, and the third is about a young man who is stranded during a trip and two women who invite him to their home so that he can watch an important match on tv. The stories were mildly interesting, but underdeveloped as short as they are.

8 - The Life of Fish (2010) - 7/10 - Chile - Andrés has been living in Berlin for the past decade and has briefly returned to Santiago to wrap up his life there before making the move permanent. He attends a birthday party for one of his friends and it becomes apparent that there was a tragedy that prompted his leaving the country. I enjoyed it and the music in the film, too.

9 - El Chacal de Nahueltoro (1969) - 5.5/10 - Chile - A man is in prison awaiting execution. We learn that he is an illiterate drunk who murdered the woman he was living with and her five children after an argument while he was really blasted. The film tells his life story which is not a particularly happy one. I guess that the film was also an argument against the death penalty, but I wasn't really moved by it.

10 - Nostalgia for the Light (2010) - 7.5/10 - Chile - Astronomers at an observatory in the midst of a desert in Chile search the skies. Not too far away, groups of women search for the remains of their love ones near the remnants of a prison camp run during the Pinochet regime. The attempt to pair astronomy with the pain of the past is not entirely successful, but it still makes for an interesting film.

Spoiler

1 - The Battle of Chile: Part I (1975) - 7/10
2 - The Battle of Chile: Part II (1976) - 7/10
3 - The Battle of Chile: Part III (1979) - 7/10 - Chile
4 - The Moon in the Mirror (1990) - 5.5/10 - Chile
5 - Largo Viaje (1967) - 8/10 - Chile

sol · #25

Spoiler

1. To Kill a Man (2014) Chile
2. Quicksand (2023) Colombia
3. The Club (2015) Chile
4. Memoria (2021) Colombia
5. Utama (2022) Bolivia
6. Monos (2019) Colombia

7. Km. 72 (2015) Venezuela REVISION

Finding his the murdered body of his employer in the same room as the man's son and two strangers, a bodyguard takes it upon himself to tie up and grill the three suspects in this neo-noir. Each of the suspects have their own version of events leading up the victim's death and Frank Spano is excellent as the conflicted bodyguard. How he keeps in voiceover mourning the loss of his boss and all that he meant to him as a surrogate father is pretty blah though and all of the playing around with chronology grows irksome. How philosophically the guy describes his job is cool though, as is the nifty flashback editing.

Tngy · #26

4. The Stranger (2014) 3.0 - Chile
5. Soltera Codiciada (2018) 4.0 - Peru

Spoiler

1. La Casa del Fin de los Tiempos The House at the End of Time (2013) 5.5 - Venezuela
2. Trauma (2017) 7.0 - Chile
3. Quicksand (2023) 6.5 - Colombia
4. The Stranger (2014) 3.0 - Chile
5. Soltera Codiciada (2018) 4.0 - Peru

sol · #27

Spoiler

1. To Kill a Man (2014) Chile
2. Quicksand (2023) Colombia
3. The Club (2015) Chile
4. Memoria (2021) Colombia
5. Utama (2022) Bolivia
6. Monos (2019) Colombia
7. Km. 72 (2015) Venezuela REVISION

8. The Debt (2015) Peru

Several indebted Peruvian farmers grapple with whether or not to sell their land as a foreign banker sets about buying their debts to the government in this multi-plotline drama. It is an ambitious scope to tackle with the film jumping back and forth between the banker and Peruvian locals, and then the film never really feels like it is about either party as tons of time is also dedicated to a farmer's son looking for a lost llama, as well as a nurse in Lima coping with a crippled health system in a weird subplot. The film is definitely well-intentioned though, about overcoming greed and seeing the human factor.

gunnar · #28

11 - La Flaca Alejandra (1994) - 7.5/10 - Chile - Carmen Castillo was captured along with other resistance members in Chile in 1974. She was tortured, but eventually sent into exile. The film centers around her conversations with a woman who was part of her group, but broke under torture by the secret police and identified other members who were subsequently arrested, tortured, and often killed. We get a bit of history about the secret police and their methods and also meet a couple of other survivors.

12 - Un hombre aparte (2001) - 6.5/10 - Chile - Ricardo Liaño is a former boxing promoter who is getting close to 80 years of age. The film follows Liaño as he tries to implement his big plan to make a million dollars through his youth anti-drugs campaign. It's really more of a fantasy, but he is oblivious to it.

13 - El pejesapo (2007) - 5.5/10 - Chile - The film deals with people who are marginalized in society, centering on a man named Daniel. Daniel is seemingly homeless, sometimes suicidal, and perhaps a bit mentally ill. He eventually goes in search of a job without success. It's not bad for what it is and what it sets out to do, but I didn't really care much about Daniel or most of the people that he met.

14 - Gloria (2013) - 7.5/10 - Chile - Gloria is a 58 year old woman who lives in an apartment by herself. She has been divorced for some time and her kids are grown so she starts going to singles parties/discos in search of companionship. She starts a relationship with an older man named Rodolfo who was an officer in the Navy. Things go fairly well, but he seems to be at the beck and call of his adult daughters. The movie doesn't have a lot of action/excitement necessarily, but the relationships are fairly well drawn and i enjoyed it.

15 - Johnny 100 Pesos (1993) - 7.5/10 - Chile - Johnny is a 17 year old who gets involved with a group of four criminals who try to rob a money laundering operation that uses a video club in an apartment building as cover. Things don't go according to plan and they end up trapped in the place they tried to rob with hostages while the police and media have the building surrounding. The media escalates things further by tracking down and interviewing Johnny's family and friends. It was pretty good.

16 - The Club (2015) - 6/10 - Chile - A secluded seaside village is the home of four disgraced Catholic priests who have been sent here as a sort of penance for their sins. A former nun runs the house and watches over them. I really couldn't get into this one, though I can see why others might like it. I mostly thought that it was dull.

17 - The Maid (2009) - 7.5/10 - Chile - Raquel has worked as a maid for a moderately wealthy family for the past 20 years and is turning 41. Recently, she has become more sullen and withdrawn while going about her duties. The family decides to bring in another maid to help, but Raquel plays pranks on her and makes life miserable for the new maid. Other maids follow with similar results until the right one comes along.

18 - Tres tristes tigres (1968) - 5/10 - Chile - A brother and sister run into each other and go out drinking with a stranger. Much alcohol is consumed. It wasn't a very interesting film.

19 - Tony Manero (2008) - 7/10 - Chile - Raúl is a 52 year old man who is obsessed with the character of Tony Manero from Saturday Night Fever. He's got a replica of Travolta's suit from the film and plans on entering a televised talent contest in the role. He's not really a nice guy, though women seem to dig him, and isn't above getting violent to further his obsession.

20 - Violeta Went to Heaven (2011) - 8/10 - Chile - This biopic tells the story of Chilean folk singer, Violeta Parra. In the film, she is taking part in a televised interview with flashbacks to her childhood and other parts of her life. I didn't know anything about her going in, but I enjoyed the story and the music. Francisca Gavilán does a great job as the adult Violeta.

21 - La expropiación (1974) - 3.5/10 - Chile - Chile is undergoing agrarian reform during the Allende years and the state is taking over large farms. One landowner is willing to hand over his property without a fuss and leave the country, but the people who work for him aren't happy about this. There are long discussions about expropriation and other political issues and the film is very boring.

This gets me to bronze on the CineChile list. I do have two more films from the list that I plan to watch, but probably won't be watching much else for this challenge. I'll be switching over to the loads of noirs that I have lined up. If I have extra time at the end of the month, I may take a look at the Cinema Tropical lists. There were some nice films on the CineChile list that I enjoyed, but also a number of films that weren't all that interesting.

Spoiler

1 - The Battle of Chile: Part I (1975) - 7/10
2 - The Battle of Chile: Part II (1976) - 7/10
3 - The Battle of Chile: Part III (1979) - 7/10 - Chile
4 - The Moon in the Mirror (1990) - 5.5/10 - Chile
5 - Largo Viaje (1967) - 8/10 - Chile
6 - En la cama / In Bed (2005) - 5/10 - Chile
7 - Historias de fútbol (1997) - 6/10 - Chile
8 - The Life of Fish (2010) - 7/10 - Chile
9 - El Chacal de Nahueltoro (1969) - 5.5/10 - Chile
10 - Nostalgia for the Light (2010) - 7.5/10 - Chile

Obgeoff · #29

2. My Imaginary Country (2022, Guzmán) 6 [Chile]
I think I would have got as much out of a ten minute short of footage of the large protest and particularly the women's choreographed chant which was extremely powerful. Otherwise, it's my sixth Guzmán and without the urgency of the Battle of Chile or the linking of the deep past to the past of the mothers of the disappeared in Nostalgia of the Light, it falls a little flat.

DudeLanez · #30

4. And So It Is (1966, Jorge Sanjinés) 7/10 #Bolivia

Spoiler

1. The Battle of Chile: Part I (1975, Patricio Guzmán) 6,5/10 #Chile
2. The Battle of Chile: Part II (1976, Patricio Guzmán) 7/10 #Chile
3. The Battle of Chile: Part III (1979, Patricio Guzmán) 6,5/10 #Chile
4. And So It Is (1966, Jorge Sanjinés) 7/10 #Bolivia

sol · #31

Spoiler

1. To Kill a Man (2014) Chile
2. Quicksand (2023) Colombia
3. The Club (2015) Chile
4. Memoria (2021) Colombia
5. Utama (2022) Bolivia
6. Monos (2019) Colombia
7. Km. 72 (2015) Venezuela REVISION
8. The Debt (2015) Peru

9. Johnny One Hundred Pesos (1993) Chile

Five armed robbers face an escalating situation when they are forced to take hostages in this thriller. The situation is further complicated by a media circus that surrounds the building with a near-surreal early scene of reporters hanging off the giant gates at the front of the building like children, hoping for the perfect shot. There is additionally an insane part which the hostages are placed nude against the window to prevent snipers from shooting in, plus there is some desperate jewellery swallowing. I really disliked the rapey teen protagonist though who the filmmakers try to paint as an easily led-on 'good kid', ugh.

sol · #32

Spoiler

1. To Kill a Man (2014) Chile
2. Quicksand (2023) Colombia
3. The Club (2015) Chile
4. Memoria (2021) Colombia
5. Utama (2022) Bolivia
6. Monos (2019) Colombia
7. Km. 72 (2015) Venezuela REVISION
8. The Debt (2015) Peru
9. Johnny One Hundred Pesos (1993) Chile

10. Addictions and Subtractions (2004) Colombia

A real estate developer is lured into the lucrative but dangerous drug smuggling world here. It is the sort of tale that we have seen countless times before and it is easy to predict that he will get in over his head. Still, this is a reasonable watch while it lasts with some fantastic colour scheme (see above). The film also drums up real dread at times, most notably as one of the drug dealer's brothers stops his car to change a tire after angering a group of thugs. Other highlights include customers who want to pay for their real estate development in cocaine (!!) since it's "the closest thing to cash these days".

Ataraxic · #33

Hello ICM gang!

I haven't posted in a while but was lurking recently and am going to try and join a few challenges.

Here's a few I watched since the 1st. I'm working on a few of the posted lists and various awards.

Mostly picking what's available for streaming. I enjoyed Tiempo de Morir the most so far. The rest have been pretty mediocre.

Pelo Malo (Venezuela, 2013) - 7
Dioses (Peru, 2008) - 5
La muerte del maestro (Ecuador, 2018) - 6.5
Tiempo de morir (Columbia, 1985) - 7.5
Retablo (Peru, 2017) - 6.5
Hermano (Venezuela, 2010) - 6

ororama · #34

1. Km 72 (2015, Venezuela) * 99 min.
Very dark and violent. A nice illustration of the Rashomon effect-each version of the story presents the teller as a completely innocent bystander in the events, an unlikely prospect in the violent, corrupt society depicted.

Thanks, sol. I probably wouldn't have found this without you.

*First time viewing

sol · #35

ororama wrote: ↑November 10th, 2023, 8:59 pm Thanks, sol. I probably wouldn't have found this without you.

No problem. Glad you liked it. I discovered the film on one of my streaming services ages ago when looking for Venezuelan films, and with the Andean and Noir challenges coinciding this year, it was a no-brainer for me to revisit the movie this month.

sol · #36

Spoiler

1. To Kill a Man (2014) Chile
2. Quicksand (2023) Colombia
3. The Club (2015) Chile
4. Memoria (2021) Colombia
5. Utama (2022) Bolivia
6. Monos (2019) Colombia
7. Km. 72 (2015) Venezuela REVISION
8. The Debt (2015) Peru
9. Johnny One Hundred Pesos (1993) Chile
10. Addictions and Subtractions (2004) Colombia

11. 186 Dollars to Freedom (2012) Peru

A foreigner is thrown in jail when crooked cops plant drugs in his backpack here. He soon discovers that there is an ongoing scam of arresting tourists and extorting money from their family. Not all of the prison staff are involved, but the sadist head guard is, and with a lazy eye and gruff appearance, he is such a cartoon-like evil stereotype that it is a bit hard to take the film seriously. What remains most intriguing here is the protagonist's constant refusal to contact his family and ask for financial help. Is he stubborn and principled or simply foolish? Given the amount of torture he undergoes, I think the latter.

pitchorneirda · #37

1. La estrategia del caracol (1993, Sergio Cabrera) - 5.5/10 - Colombia

2. El gran movimiento (2021, Kiro Russo) - 5/10 - Bolivia

sol · #38

Spoiler

1. To Kill a Man (2014) Chile
2. Quicksand (2023) Colombia
3. The Club (2015) Chile
4. Memoria (2021) Colombia
5. Utama (2022) Bolivia
6. Monos (2019) Colombia
7. Km. 72 (2015) Venezuela REVISION
8. The Debt (2015) Peru
9. Johnny One Hundred Pesos (1993) Chile
10. Addictions and Subtractions (2004) Colombia
11. 186 Dollars to Freedom (2012) Peru

12. The Longest Night (2019) Ecuador

Turning to prostitution to pay her daughter's medical bills, a desperate woman is harassed by a pimp she owes money to before eventually deciding to turn the tables in this crime drama. The operative word in that sentence though is unfortunately "eventually"; while marketed as a thriller, it is only in the final 25 minutes that she fights back after personal tragedy comes her way, and even when she does, her scheme seems poorly thought-out and irrational. It seems that the pimp is also involved in child sex trafficking - the horrors of which are never properly conveyed. A weird and unsatisfying "almost" thriller.

peeptoad · #39

3. Madeinusa (2006, Peru) 8

vistas!

1. La chica del lago (2021, Ecuador) 4
2. Sicario (1994, Venezuela) 7

jdidaco · #40

3. La casa está vacía (The House Is Empty, Carlos Schlieper, 1945) 7.5/10 (Chile)
4. Docteur Chance (Doctor Chance, F.J. Ossang, 1997) 8/10 (Chile)

Spoiler

1. El ídolo (The Idol, Pierre Chenal, 1952) 8/10 (Chile)
2. El Conde (Pablo Larraín, 2023) 6.5/10 (Chile)