Friday, October 6, 2006

"PERDER ES CUESTION DE METODO"
"THE ART OF LOSING"

5th Spanish Film Festival
Cinema 1, Greenbelt 3

Victor Silampa
After watching 2 films at the German Film Festival, it was time to cross over to the Spanish and Latin American Films Fest.

This movie was shot entirely in Bogota, Colombia. Basically a whodunit mystery fraught with shady characters all intertwined in a murky web of murder, corruption, deceit and mayhem. The main protagonist is a journalist/reporter for the daily newspaper, The Observer. Victor Silampa is assigned by an overbearing Colonel in the Police Department to investigate a murder so that he can write an exclusive story for the paper. Thus begin a wild goose chase across the city. He encounters various dubious characters as he unfolds the nitty gritty details behind the gruesome crime.

The film offers us a glimpse into the daily nuances of people who live in one of the most vibrant cities in the world - Bogota, Colombia. Funny scenarios take place in some of the most bizarre places like a nudist club, a disco style nightclub complete with hookers in all shapes and sizes and even a grave site. A film with a merry bunch of crooked yet fascinating characters like a sensual underaged prostitute, a corrupt Councilman, a cheating lawyer, a shady businessman and even an insane mentor confined in some mental institution. It has its funny moments combined with violent scenes. A few nudity here and there nothing vulgar really just all graphically well done. Action is fast paced, there is always something going on. So while the plot is a bit wacky what with all the numerous players involved in the scenes, it is still tolerable enough to watch. If only to piece together the various puzzles in this mysterious thriller.

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