In Colombia we used to excuse ourselves for not going to the theaters to watch local films, because their directors bordered on weak humor films and monothematic ones about drug trafficking or guerrillas.
Another pretext for our apathy towards Colombian cinema was that they only filmed social pornography, natural actors with improvised scripts.
In my case, without dismissing Colombian productions, I am an admirer of Argentine and Spanish cinema. Directors from both backgrounds turn simple, everyday stories into great films. This dynamic is preserved because this cinema has the national support of its own audiences as well as international acceptance.
Now that "Itzia, Tango and Cacao" was released in Colombia, let's emulate the Argentine and Spanish examples.
It was in 2005, when Flora Martinez starred in "Rosario Tijeras", a film by Mexican director Emilio Maillé, who discovered Flora´s talent. She demonstrated that her talent was the complement of her beauty.
Now, after several years, she returns with her directorial debut: "Itzia, Tango and Cacao". Her beauty and intelligence intact. Rather let's say that her talent extended to beauty, acting and directing.
This film innovates pacifist Colombian cinema, the cultivation of cacao highlights the replacement of illicit crops that generate violence.
Putting this film at the same level of Argentine and Spanish cinema.
A dramatic story with a magical realism narrative, shots with neat photography, the healing power of the sad bandoneon, hearing impairment and ethnic inclusion, are the ingredients of a great film that does not let us blink and makes our heart swell.
Going to see it as a family will be the great therapy we needed for the rebirth of filial love.
Luis Angel Muñoz Zúñiga - Diario Occidente (Cali, Colombia)
