The Boy from Medellín

TIFF 2020 03

The Boy from Medellin

This documentary had a very strong and powerful effect on me. It's about the famous Colombian singer J Balvin and his forthcoming concert in his hometown Medellin in which some of the biggest protests and strikes in the recent history of Colombia are taking place. I dont expect the critics from U.S to fully grasp the essence of this film, but in countries who deal with dictatorship and people rallying against the government, the roll of artists, entertainers and basically celebrities with a sizeable platform is controversional and disputed. I'd like to quote Fereydoun Farrokhzad, a former showman with PhD in political science in my country Iran who once said: "you can't just separate yourself from the politics. even if you try to not mess up with politics, politics will mess up with you. The two nuclear bombs that nuked Hiroshima and Nakazaki, these were potitical events. You must know politics to predict when the bomb is going to get you."

This film started as a typical singer's concert kind of documentary, but the whole protests and what Balvin had to go through with his roll about them gave this a whole new narrative and elevated it by a lot.

I enjoyed every minute of this documentary. It makes you realize how J Balvn is just a regular human being like the rest of us. To each their own and to me I give it a 10 out of 10.

During watching the documentary, I felt 'this is so fake' but when he came to stage at the end, finally I felt the reality. Actually j Balvin is not my favorite singer, I know only tranquila song and I really appreciated him after this documentary. Being a star is so difficult.

If you're looking for an entertaining video tour around Medellin and snapshots of its world-class women.....from the perspectives of the luxury SUV of a jet-set celeb, and the terraces of splendid villas in surrounding hills....then this is the show for you!!

The main downside is that J Balvin comes across as a male Reggaeton Judy Garland.......inexplicably.needing constant emotional and medical propping up from a sizeable crew of therapists, spiritualists, physicians, and general minders. Boring after the first 10 minutes......except for his constant wardrobe changes to a new 500 dollar hoodie-tee shirt combo, in each new scene!

The footage of the much-awaited concert suffers from choppy editing and a muddy sound mix, leaving you wondering what all the fuss was about. Basically, as artistically impressive as a Super Bowl Half-Time Show in an "off year".

As for Balvin's "political awakening" in reaction to a barrage of Instagram posts by protestors in Colombia's streets, coinciding with his return to his home town....you feel that his new-found "consciousness" will wear off as soon as he returns to his mansion in South Florida.

Despite my complaints, however, it was a fun couple of hours in front of the tube. Viva Las Chicas de Medellin !!!

This is a great documentary showing the real life of a world class star. Being from Colombia I understand some if the nuances missed in the real life footage. For example, you must have been in Medellín and in the comunas to understand why that portion of the documentary is so relevant. I also liked the fact that José's struggles with mental health.

As he says in the documentary: J. Balvin the artist and José are two different people. Highly recommended.