La strategia della lumaca

FIRST: Let us FOCUS on the Titles's Content and Context....´

As to whether or not CARACOL is the BEST Colombian film ever made is certainly open to debate. But that it is, undoubtedly, far and away my personal favorite is not!

It's probably safe to say that many countries celebrate their regional and class cultural differences. Colombia obsesses over them! If you are relatively unfamiliar with said differences...there is no better way to introduce yourself than via this delicious example of late 20th Century Colombian film-making (1993).

CARACOL is an unrivaled showcase for Colombian talent. Sergio Cabrera directs, masterfully, and also doubles as script-writer. OMG what a superb and nuanced work he has crafted! Those of you who speak fluent Spanish will, undoubtedly, be able to savor the semantic texture and subtleties Cabrera applies so skillfully!

If ever there were a film tailor-made for "Lost in Translation".... I'm sure ESTRATEGIA is it! (To be honest, I have seen it a number of times in its original Spanish, so this is a supposition on my part, but I'm absolutely certain CARACOL does not lend itself, in the least, to Translation!)

There is an underlying Universal theme, which people from every country on earth, who have ever felt the overwhelming sense of frustration and impotence that is an inevitable byproduct of battling a lethargic, glacier-paced Bureaucracy, certainly can identify with! Undoubtedly, almost all of us have experienced moments such as these in our lives!

The cast is composed of some of the very best Colombia had to offer in the 1990's, so much so, that looking through the cast credits is pretty much a "Who's Who" of Colombian acting talent! Fausto Cabrera, Sergio's father, was born in Spain and was 71 when CARACOL was shot. Frank Ramirez, (Condores No Entierran Todos los Dias/A Man of Principle) has also appeared in a few American TV Series; Vicki Hernandez, practically a household name in Colombia, had a small role in PROOF OF LIFE (2000).

So as to not cross the "Spoiler" threshold, let me just say that the final scene has one of the greatest tag lines/Punch lines I have ever seen in any film in Spanish. Sadly, it is hard for me to envision any possible translation that would have the same impact on English speaking viewers.... But Please don't let this stop you from getting your hands on a copy for viewing! CARACOL is a real "Must See" for all Citizens of the WORLD!!!

10***** Bureaucracy ladened hurdles STARS*****

....ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA!

Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are most welcome!...

I think it's not that bad. I agree, it's a must see movie talking about Colombian cinema, I think it has had a Cannes award!! The real thing that one has to see in the movie is that Colombian people don't give up! Never ever! We always find a way to get what we want, even if is not the best one. That's what this movie is about, no matter how bad the things are going, there's something else that rests ---HOPE!

This movie is one of the greatest in Colombian history, a true masterpiece!!! Not only is Sergio Cabrera a very resourceful director, but he is surrounded by a great cast of actors that include Fausto Cabrera, Víctor Mallarino and Florina Lemaitre. The story is fast-paced and hilarious, but at the same time it is dramatic and shows our reality. Bravo for this movie!!!

'La estrategia del caracol' had an unexpected success in Colombia. The movie was on release at the end of december of 1994 and, suddenly, like a miracle, the film connected with the viewers, the critics and collected some money, something unusual in that country where Hollywood rubbish-films are box-office kings (sadly). Certainly, Cabrera's creation deserved that incredible viewer's support. His movie is a good polaroid of colombian people and their way of living. It shows us the efforts of a group of 'neighbours' trying to keep the only thing that they have got in their lives: their house, something that belongs to them but, legally, doesn't. They will have to work together, despite they don't like each other, in order to solve that problem. And they, as usually colombians do, will find a creative solution to keep that precious 'treasure'. That's what I think the movie is about. By using the intelligence, cooperation and a good dose of sacarsm poor people can defeat the rich-powerful guys. In this case, this modest colombian film defeated the Hollywood empire for several weeks. Of course the dream was so short...!

I'm a foreigner who watched this movie to learn Spanish. I was specifically interested in a Colombian film because I've heard that the Colombian accent is very neutral and nice-sounding in Spanish, so I should try to learn speaking it like the Colombians.

-> The plot: not very interesting, but definitely revealed various problems that are a part of Latin American society.

-> Colombian culture: this movie taught me a lot about Colombian culture: what's right, what's wrong, how people live, what the govt.'s like, etc.

-> Spanish: I watched this movie with English subtitles, so I didn't learn many (if any) individual Spanish words, but I did learn about how it's generally spoken, the rhythm, the styles, and a lot of other stuff.

In short, this movie will not be very interesting to watch (especially if you're a foreigner), but it taught me a lot about the culture and was worth it.

HOWEVER, if you're interested in Colombian culture you need to remember that this movie was released more than two decades ago! Colombian culture and society has obviously changed a lot since then. So, remember that while watching it, obviously! Bon voyage!