Bolivia

The life of illegal immigrants, in Buenos Aires or in another place in the world, is a black & white life, the colors are off. For telling the routine of a Bolivian cook, alone, sleeping in a bar, with his wife and children living 1500 miles away, disturbed everyday by police asking for his papers, white and black are enough. You won't find here famous actors or great special effects. Almost the whole movie occurs in a cheap neighbourhood bar. But the story is universal, it could be a Turkey in Munich, a Tunisian in Marsella or a Mexican in Los Angeles.

Hector Kesselman, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Bolivia is filmed entirely in black and white, contains almost no score, and 90% of it takes place in the same setting - a quaint, run-down café frequented by Argentinian regulars.

It sounds slow but captivates for the entirety of its short duration. The movie follows an illegal immigrant, Freddy, who is trying to make his way in the country as he struggles to deal with intolerant locals. He supports a family back home and wants them to join him in Buenos Aires when he saves up enough money.

The film delivers a powerful message about xenophobia and poverty in South America in the modern era. Despite its short length, it is one of my favorite foreign films to date.

Xenophobia in the third world. Can you believe that. Caetano is possibly the most interesting Argentine director of the 2000s. There is no heros here. Only good characters in a interesting urban collage. Short and entertaining. 8/10

There are movies that shows you how hard can life be for people considered different or out of place. We know that Adrian Caetano is quite an expert in such films. "Bolivia" is not an exception. Really good, makes you think about facts that seems quite normal in our countries.In Argentina the Bolivian or Paraguayan people are generally unwanted immigrants, as Argentinians are unwanted in other places like USA, Italy or Spain. This movie shows clearly how can individual tragedies be part of social discrimination. Considered as "Nuevo Cine Argentino", Caetano's filmography should be watched carefully, being a good director that tells simple but deep stories.

This film sums up what's good about small cinema. They spend millions of dollars on rubbish movies and then this classic is produced on a shoestring. I thought the use of the football and boxing footage worked well, and overall it is a fantastic film from start to finish. Having just watched Crash, it is interesting to contrast the clichéd approach to racial tension in that film to the delicate yet ultimately more powerful way this film deals with the same theme. What a shame that, judging by the lack of response to this film, not very many people have seen it. Can anyone recommend films of this type that might be worth watching.