Top picks for the Latin American Film Festival
By hola | Published | No Comments
Every fall the Latin American Film Festival at the AFI Silver cinema in Silver Spring casts the limelight on celluloid narratives that are key to Latin American culture and history. Now in its 32nd year, this year’s festival is taking place during Hispanic Heritage month and features films from 21 Latin American countries, Spain, Portugal and the U.S. From animations to thrillers, the festival has two to three daily screenings. Here are a few films we’d like to see during the final week of the festival, which wraps up on Oct. 13. To attend the festival, a face mask and proof of vaccination or recent negative PCR test are required.
“The Other Tom”
In “The Other Tom,” Mexican wife and husband creative duo Laura Santullo and Rodrigo Plá tackle several large issues in one film: mental illness, psychiatric medication for youth, single parenthood and the foster care system. Like their well-received 2015 thriller, “Monster with a Thousand Heads,” the new film is also based on a novel written by Santullo. The filmmakers assembled much of the same team to translate the book to the big screen. True to Santullo’s work, “The Other Tom” follows the journey of a single mother, Elena, as she discovers her son has attention deficit disorder. She accepts and, ultimately, rejects suggested help. Elena then faces the uncertainty that follows her decisions. Under the direction of Santullo and Plá, the creative team promises to use the medium of film to its fullest. Cinematographer Odei Zabaleta creates a voyeuristic experience that leaves little emotional and physical distance between the audience and characters. The slow cuts offered by the film’s editor Miguel Schverdfinger leave nuance intact, refusing emotional shortcuts. The team’s love for story and film creates high potential for a great cinematic experience.
—Jaclyn Porpiglia
“Nahuel and the Magic Book”
“Nahuel and the Magic Book,” a Chilean-Brazilian coproduction, is an animated film based on Chiloé mythology and customs of Chile’s Mapuche indigenous people. The story follows Nahuel, a 12-year-old boy who must fight to save his father from a sorcerer who seeks a book of witchcraft. Nahuel had stolen the book in an attempt to overcome his fear of the sea and make his father, a fisherman, proud. The ocean is a constant presence in the film since it’s set in the Chiloé archipelago, a group of islands more than 700 miles south of the Chilean capital, Santiago. Viewers can enjoy the archipelago’s beautiful landscapes and natural elements throughout the film. The film’s aesthetics and animation, which the filmmakers completed after a week of research in Chiloé, are eye-catching in the online trailer. They remind me of animated productions such as “Gravity Falls” and “Death Note.” With its bright colors and adventurous vibe, the movie offers not only entertainment for children but lessons on facing fears and introspection on Chilean culture.
—Fernanda Poblete González
“La Condesa”
“La Condesa” is a Honduran film directed by the renowned Mario Ramos and produced by Ana Martins. The film centers around a weekend trip with two brothers, Felipe and Eduardo, and their girlfriends. The group of four goes to an old house called La Condesa that belonged to the brothers’ grandmother. What was intended to be a relaxing getaway to a house in the middle of nowhere, quickly turns into a journey into horrible family secrets. “La Condesa” was filmed in Ellicott City, Maryland, at a mansion rumored to be haunted in real life. Although there isn’t much dialogue, the subdued colors, realistic cinematography shots, intensity of the sounds and the silence in certain parts, all help transmit a tense atmosphere and climate of suspense, all while wrapping viewers in a horror-thriller plot where they will constantly wait to see what’s going to happen next as dark family secrets are revealed.
—Fernanda Poblete González
“The Whisper of Silence”
“The Whisper of Silence” is a story full of mystery and suspense set in El Salvador and made by Alfonso Quijada, an award-winning Salvadoran filmmaker. Quijada, who wrote and directed the film, has worked in TV and film for over 30 years on both independent films and Hollywood blockbusters such as “X2: X-Men United.” In “The Whisper of Silence,” the 18-year-old protagonist is a girl who developed a rare skill entirely on her own: the ability to distinguish the finest quality coffee beans by their smell alone. When her talent is discovered, she embarks on a journey into the world of coffee tasters. However, problems at home prevent her from enjoying her new life. Struggles with her brother and former employer threaten her success after her brother gets caught up in a criminal endeavor. Meanwhile, her former employer accosts her with unwanted attention. With the intriguing world of coffee tasters as the backdrop, Quijada expertly delivers a story of drama and intrigue among the coffee fields of El Salvador.
—Deanna González
This story was produced by Hola Cultura’s S.P.E.L. Arts & Humanities team members Carolina Marin, Deanna González, Fernanda Poblete González, and Jaclyn Porpiglia.
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