La sierra

When I saw La Sierra I couldn't believe my eyes. This filmmakers went to Medellín, one of the most violent cities in Latin America, to make a documentary about this very young people who live in the most terrible conditions, and do unimaginable things to the eyes of people who live in the comfort and safety of first-world countries. I am from Caracas, Venezuela, and I understand and see all the problems that this young kids suffer every day. I totally recommend this movie: every single story is touching -Maybe not Hollywood or Europe touching, probably that's why people cannot understand how a 10-year old boy drinks beer or 14 year-old girls have babies. But drugs, underage parenthood or even the bloody war between guerrillas and paramilitaries forces is not what this documentary is really about: it is about redemption and you have to discover it by yourself. The photography, composition, editing and scoring are excellent, even though the hell of problems that the filmmakers,I guess, went through. Is the best documentary about people from Latin American barrios that I ever seen.

This documentary is so delicate in it's narrative, that it's impossible not to like it. It's technically well-done and well-structured. Edison, Cielo and Jesús, have had a horrible past between war and the hope of the honest life. Unfortunately, Edison dies due to intern war, between two ghettos of the barrio, which is La Sierra. Martínez y Dalton don't want to show Colombia as a third-wold country trying to demonstrate that is more than war and drug dealing. They want to show Medellin, as a city that overcomes intern conflicts with the guerrilla's people reinsertion to the civil community. Actually, that's what happened the past year. An aunt if mine lived nearby La Sierra, in a barrio called Buenos Aires, and she told me that war is the terrible past of a beautiful and working city, called Medellin. Even if other people thinks that Colombia is drugs, war and prostitution, let me tell you that my country is overcoming it, and my country isn't the only one nation that has these problems. War is worldwide. Excellent documentary, I hope an Academy Award Nomination.

If I let this movie deter me from travelling to Medellin, Colombia I never would have discovered such and incredible magical city in transformation. Yes the movie depicts the violence in a specific neighborhood in Medellin but the truth is that everyone I met in Colombia is doing there part to change the history of violence and especially its reputation around the world. The reality is you could probably shoot a similar documentary in the gang-infested neighborhoods in LA, California. Learn more about Medellin, Colombia at www medellintraveler.com If you liked La Sierra check out The City Of God, another interesting movie focusing on young adults and violence.

Poverty happens all over the world, but senseless violence fuled by poverty you do not see or experience all over the place. I've been to Medellin Colombia on many occasions and I must say that I have never experienced any negativity nor violence while being there. But I have heard the gun battles in the hills surrounding Medellin and often wondered what that was about. After viewing this documentaire I now understand the whole story, and how difficult it is for President Uribe to stamp out violence altogether in Colombia. This is a must see documentaire to understand how poverty, insecurity, and zero opportunities for self development of Colombian youth fuels the violence in the Colombia mountain region called La Sierra.

This is simply one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. The Way in which the director gained the trust of people living in such dire and dangerous circumstances is as amazing as it is the way he managed to get them to open up about their hopes and dreams for the future and show them in such a humanistic way. By the end the affinity you have for the characters is very strong and you have an understanding of not only them but also what life is like living a life without believing there any possibilities.For me it showed that all people regardless of the surroundings they live in are primarily the same in their basic needs and aspirations and the way the director allows us into these peoples lives is what documentaries are all about.