Martin Bradley Another great film about childhood, this one from Colombia and despite, or maybe because of, the seriousness of the subject matter, one totally devoid of sentimentality. It was director Carlos Cesar Arbelaez's first film and it showed great promise, (his handling of the children alone is impeccable), but since then he has only made one other film which is a great pity. Of course, this is also a highly political film as you might expect and Arbelaez seamlessly ties together both themes. In the central role of Manuel, Hernan MauricioOcampo is quite superb and the film is beautifully photographed by Oscar Jiminez. Needless to say it wasn't widely distributed on its initial release but it cries out to be discovered.

runamokprods Touching anti-war film about a nine year old boy in a small rural village in Colombia. The boy, Manuel, just wants to play with his friends, all of whom manage to stay fairly oblivious the the civil war slowly encroaching on their town. The rebels threaten those who won't join up (including Manuel's father), and the government troops on the other side are ready to kill any they even suspect of being rebels. It's truly a hellish no-win situation for the farmers and families of this otherwise pretty idyllic farm area.The film is told mostly from the boy's perspective, leading to some interesting contrasts between what we as an adult audience can glean about what's really going on, while enjoying the sweet innocence of Manuel and his friends' perceptions, as they try to hang onto their childhoods. While I respected the film, and even admired it, it's so understated, that it had a bit less emotional kick than I was expecting on first viewing. But it got stronger and more emotional on a second watch, once I was used it it's quiet tone. There were still a few moments that felt a bit forced, and not all the kid actors are great, but neither flaw was enough to get in the way of being left moved and thoughtful.

Al Rodbell Carlos César Arbeláez, the listed as the director started by making documentaries in the Nineties including Cómo llegar al cielo, El cine en casa, Casa de mujeres and Negro profundo. This was his his first fictional feature film, and his background of aiming a camera at real people and settings is clearly seen. IMDb does not for some reason list the writer, but if you follow the link to the trailer, at the end it says "escrita y dirigida" which means that Arbelaez both wrote and directed this film; it is his baby, and how proud he should be. The dialog and actions of the characters could very well have been from a documentary, and this includes everyone from the focal adults to the incredible children and even the toddlers and the "attack" dog.This film depicted something that we who live in an ordered political system, even if far from any ideal, never have to experience first hand, a world of eternal lethal conflict where there is no way to opt out and choose to live peacefully. The genius of this film was that the horror of this existence was seen through the innocent eyes of children, in this case who had the comfort of their simple home, family and friends. We sensed the danger around them, but felt somehow protected from it, as they did. And their brand new soccer ball that was the gift to nine year old Manuel by his struggling farm family that was to provide pleasure to the whole gang of kids. A simple toy, that happened to fall down a ravine that while almost accessible, was in a field that had been strewn with mines by the guerrilla forces that were demanding fealty from Manuel's father. How close was the ball to being reached and saved, as close as the vulnerable families who were beset by violence with no way to escape it. How simple and pure is a ball, a device that combined with human creativity can focus the energies of children, and of adults to crescendos of exuberance, whether in a vast stadium or a simple flat area among the hills of a desolate farm community. A true work of rare artless art.

The_Great_Silence The apolitical innocence shown in one Columbian village sandwiched between Government armies and Guerrila fighters failed to garner any emotions from me in its telling of jaded elementary-aged school children who want nothing more than to just play futbol. Were it not for a certain farm animal unexpectedly blowing up midway through the film - giving me hope that other living things might explode as well - I wouldn't have stayed for the far-reaching attempts at eliciting artificial poignancy in the end. – Adam