(Peru, 2004, 83 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Starring: Pietro Sibille, Lili Urbina, Milagros Vidal and Marisela Puicon.
Selected by over 80 Film Festivals worldwide and winning no less than a dozen prestigious awards, Josué Méndez's extraordinary debut explores the tragic impossibility of a war veteran to reintegrate into civilian life. 23-year old Santiago (Pietro Sibille, in a "volcanic performance," Variety) returns home, weary from years of jungle fighting, searching for hope. But his native Lima has become a less than welcoming place.
Unable to get a job or credit, or afford an education,
misunderstood by his family, wife and friends whom he finds decadent and
distant, Santiago's estrangement from an increasingly hostile and chaotic
world deepens, as his anger and frustration rise.
Through a powerful and original style of narration, Méndez vividly
examines the effects of war upon those who carry it out. While the suppressed
rage of Sibille's Santiago Roman may recall DeNiro's Travis Bickle, Sibille
manages to push the envelope, eliciting sympathy for a complex character
that walks the line between chilling hostility and great humanity.
A Venevision International Release
Peru's official entry — 2006 Academy Awards/Best Foreign Film
"Fans of Latin American cinema won't want to miss this" — Salon.com
"Pietro Sibille is exceptional as Santiago" — New York Post
"Mendez's taut film about a veteran unable to adjust to civilian life stands on its own chilling merits" — Time Out New York
"Elegantly directed" — Cahiers du Cinéma
Saturday, January 14, 4:10pm
Sunday, February 19, 1pm
Sunday, February 12, 7:15pm
104
Willard Straight Hall, Ithaca, NY / (607) 255-3522
Monday, February 27, 7pm
The
Cinema Tropical Film Series USA is sponsored by The New York Times.
For more information call (212) 592-3428
