Oliver's Deal

In a sea of summer films packed with CGI and special effects, Writer and Director Barney Elliott has delivered a smart, clever, and thoughtful, multi-narrative thriller based on a historical reform that took place in 1968. Stephen Dorff stars as a New York financier who will go against all odds to settle a business deal with a Peruvian farming community, a deal which has implication to destroy their way of life. The Debt is a thrilling mystery rooted in realistic, honest characters who are joined by the force of having to make a decision with the effects being out of their control. Definitely worth a watch this summer.

The Debt features riveting talent all across the board. Blade's Stephen Dorff and The Bourne Ultimatum's David Strathairn shine as the bankers who attempt to acquire land from a Peruvian family. Barney Elliott has managed to put together a moving cast that portrays the suspenseful story; with a special mention for Elsa Olivero who gives a heartbreaking performance as a nurse who tries desperately to care for her sick mother. The narrative is topical as it involves three separate stories that intertwine because of a deal to buy some land in Peru by New York financiers. In my opinion, newcomer Barney Elliott showcases great direction and writing as presented by a surprising turn the film makes, which caught me off guard. Furthermore, the film is shot beautifully as Peru is such a vibrant setting. It's great to see an independent movie that utilizes every frame from start to finish and kept me on edge. I recommend that any film lover see this feature.

Incredible movie about social matters in Peru. Great production, director and high level film work in general. Amazing actors that remind me of the theatre craft.

It is really the story of a small boy, a small Indian boy in Peru, who introduces the film by being stirred by a helicopter that suddenly invades the beautiful mountain landscape with its horrible noise. That helicopter signals an approaching doom, but no one is aware of it. Two young businessmen of New York are interested in some land in Peru, which a Peruvian colleague wants them to buy for him in exchange for some vital bonds. The moment this deal enters the story you start to suspect the worst. The small boy spends his days guarding his father's herds of sheep and a lama, and at one time the helicopter turns up again and scares the lama off. The boy spends days and nights searching for their vital lama and finally finds it, while the second young businessman is there to try to find out why this land of very high plains is so attractive for entrepreneurs. He finds the secret of the land but perishes in an accident. Meanwhile the boy and his lama are scared again by the helicopter for the third time and runs away and falls, injuring his leg on a stone. Blood poisoning develops, and he has to be brought to a hospital in Lima. The first entrepreneur offers to help them with the transport if the farmer agrees to sell his lands. The farmer has to agree to save his son's life. The son is brought to the city hospital - by that same helicopter.

There is also the story of the nurse whose mother is in horrible pains and almost dying, and to save her life she uses extortion to make a doctor prefer her as a patient to the boy. At least the nurse and her mother get happy but no one else.

It's a very moral tale prying into the mechanisms of fate how one mishap can result in a chain reaction of others with tragic results that no one desired or was responsible for. It is also beautifully made with marvellous panoramic scenes of the Andes of Peru, which the boy often admires. It is both a cold cynical account of life when things happen that should not, and a heart-rending story of what is right and what is not. Many questions are left unanswered when the film leaves us with many things to think about.

Sometimes in the film culture, there can be a presence of skewed portrayals of different ethnicities or places that aren't the reality of their actual representation. For example, a lot of people see Peru as just an exotic vacation destination because of the beautiful rain forests and Machu Picchu that's the logical destination. It's not depicting Peru in its entirety in the way it deserves. However, I can say with full conviction and admiration that Director Barney Elliot in The Debt, took the time and care to create a thrilling but heart felt drama while fostering Peruvian culture and history by accurately portraying the reality of Peru. He didn't set this high finance deal between New York businessmen and Peruvian farmers regarding the 1968 agrarian reform in Machu Picchu or the exotic shorelines. Rather, he showed the urban, busy life of Lima, the hard working farmland pastures of the Peruvian countryside, and the limited amount of hospital care in Peru to tell a moving yet suspenseful tale on the unexpected consequences of the character's decisions. I recommend this not only for fans of dramas but also it is important to be educated on the reality of our worldly surroundings.