La petite marchande de roses

i came upon this film @ the library and comparing the film to the summary given, i was literally taken aback. We are immediately thrown into the fast paced, distracting and intense urban climate in which these children survive. I had some difficulty reading the subtitles and absorbing the story, for the children speak quickly and move swiftly (minus the glue huffing). At times I was questioning whether this film could be part documentary , part true story. the child actors are comfortable around and maturely aware of the camera, their deft improv dialog feels habitual and routine, as if they have and do live this lifestyle. Reminiscent of "CHildren Underground", this film will call to your heart and your curiosity. It amazes me how the children narrowly escape havoc or ruin with every step.

Bravo to this powerful film.

A heart-breaking urban tale that makes optimal use of natural actors and improvisation, together with very basic photography,but doesn´t have any of the technical troubles of the director´s previous release, "Rodrigo D". It renders a very authentic look to city-living in Colombia, without misleading morals or boring social commentary. However, it´s lyricism sets it apart from any pretensions of "real" cinema.

The way Gaviria works with his natural actors and actresses, made it possible to recreate, with real life homeless kids, the way of living in the street for those who life didn't give a chance. This film has the power to show the crudeness of the Medellín streets and its habitants without taking position, or judging, but also without having innocents, because, in a way, we are all part of it. Gaviria's most important characteristic is how he manage to enter deeply into the world of the ones who are placed aside, without contaminating their version of life, getting this people to talk and "confess" the things they have had to pass through, with the most sincere and professional investigation.

This is not a movie to entertain, it is meant to open the viewer's eyes to the "invisible" world of homeless children in Latin America. This is more a documentary than a film but the plot, based loosely on Han Christian Anderson's "The Match Stick Girl," is strong and compelling. Painful to watch at times, it is meant to be disturbing. Which is why I can say it I liked it and I recommend it, even though it haunted me and robbed me of sleep and I don't believe I will ever see it again.

These young people survive in the streets with no supervision and no one to provide for them, yet they are still going through the same tumultuous problems of the average teen; boyfriend-girlfriend troubles, gossip, friendship betrayal, and so on...and they cope with all their problems by sniffing glue. With the effects of the glue showing itself in these children one scene after the other it can seem to be too much as the plot begins to come together.

It is my understanding that the majority of the children were not actors but real street kids, and although the plot was scripted by the filmmaker the children were just being themselves, showing us a voyeuristic peek into their lives. And on a more disturbing note; none of these children have survived the street.

This incredible film is a must see for anyone interested in film as more than entertainment.

La Vendedora de Rosas is a companion piece to Victor Gaviria's 1990 Rodrigo D:no futuro, about the lives of street boys from Medellin,Colombia. Vendedora focuses on girls equally affected by poverty, ignorance, abuse and neglect. It earns a place next to Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay and Hector Babenco's Pixote, excellent urban youth films in the tradition of Bunuel's Los Olvidados. Vendedora does not shy away from depicting the effects of drugs, violence, and family dysfunction while allowing for brief moments of tenderness and solidarity, even joy. Gaviria has enlisted street kids in enacting events from their daily lives, during 48 hours preceding Christmas. The film refuses to cheapen their plight with plot contrivances or stylistic flourishes. The spanish spoken is specific to the youth of Medellin, a welcome challenge to most native speakers. The fate of the characters evolves naturally from earlier scenes, without being predictable. I recommend La Vendedora de Rosas to anybody who considers film a window to the world of folks we wouldn't otherwise be able to access and an opportunity to understand it.