Punto y raya

I'll not comment a lot, what's to??? Stereotype characters, absolute ignorance about Colombia's reality, awful mise en scene, poor color choice, NOT funny (it supposed to be a comedy and they expect that you will laugh because some distend music it's beside the nonsense scenes), Very poor actors direction (if you see somewhere those people, I mean the interpreters, you'll know they are at least good, but seeing this so call film, it is impossible to guess it), you get tired of the music... this "comedy" has no rhythm, the only good rhythm in it, it's the rap sing in the final credits....pathetic, doesn't it? etc...etc... It has been a long time I haven't seen a movie so bad!!

I cannot however agree that this was a poorly made film. Be prepared for a look at how sad it is when governments use their people to fight wars that feel so pointless. I'm no pacifist, but border disputes should be settled with the assistance of brother countries in the region in question. A Latin-American council should be formed to make cross border fighting a shameful sad memory of what we were before we learned better. It hurts me to the soul to think that even one minute of what this film supposes happens in the border between two brother countries is true. I think the film technique was very effective. The effect is that of memories not so much live action. Like many people my memories and dreams are not vividly colored. How strange it seems to me that people live in areas where the agony of unrest is simply the backdrop to daily activities. There's so much left to do in this world and so few people who are willing to stop the greed long enough to help.

This movie it's a joy, a wonderful experience to find the craft of this essential art in a new voice like the voice of Venezuela. It's funny (really Funny), sad, but it's after all a human movie, with a very mood script. The vision of the director make you feel about the really essence of the south American people. The plot it's about a little war between Colombia and Venezuela. got a very interesting new talents (Roque Valero rules with his character of the Venezuelan soldier) Now Edgar Ramirez work in the new movie of Tony (Top Gun) Scott. A great experience thanks to this powerful movie.It's in other word: supreme. When you see this movie, you really feel the art in the screen.

Punto y Raya (Step Forward) went definitively beyond my expectations. It's a very original story, which counts with outstanding performances and has an implicit message about how important friendship and loyalty are during difficult times. Taking place during a (not that far from reality) situation of real tension in the Venezuelan-Colombian border, Punto y Raya makes viewers go into the story, which develops as a drama, with many touches of that typical Latin American kind of humor. The several awards that it's won in different international festivals are very well deserved, and this is a movie which is really worth watching, because it's one of the good productions with the "made in Latin America" stamp.

While the underlying theme and plots of most war movies are similar, this film at least adds the novelty of this rarely shown, but nevertheless, very critical and crucial world conflict.

I (and the film) refer to the drug traffic/coke labs/Maoist rebels/ Venezuelan/Colombian feud. It's a multi faction civil war that is rarely talked about since, of course, the area is neither in Eurasia or North America. But the coke and crack consumers that keep it going are. So, though dozens of films continue to address Bosnia and the ex-Yugoslavia (close to "Europe" and the Middle East), hardly any have been made about this ongoing war which is even more complicated, and ongoing than any other, and closer to many Europeans and North America drug users than anyone wants to recognize.

This film is a light, comedic way of educating those in the "rest of the world" what those around you may contribute to, if not cause, this war and keep it going, fueled by continued consumption of drugs from South America (virtually all, if not all the coke and derivatives, plus marijuana, with a sideline of Ecstasy production, this last drug not native to the area). It is also an interesting take on Venezuelan/Colombian relations along the long, drug, and guerrilla infected border they share.

The film is not at all a sermon about this subject. I personally make it a point in this comment to highlight why the film is so unique, so worth watching. All this, in addition to its being a wonderful, entertaining film, showing human qualities and frailties which can be appreciated anywhere.

Truly exceptional, this film has been a hit at all the festivals it's hit so far. Here in Brazil, it was a hit in Rio in September, and is on the list of the top ten most-voted films at the S. Paulo Festival in October/early November. Highly recommendable!