The Actors in the Conflict

Colombia's never-ending military/guerrilla struggle is the background of vet Lisandro Duque Naranjo's "The Actors in the Conflict," a flawed but engagingly spiky satire abo three thesps dragged deeply into politics. Craftily negotiating a tightrope between tub-thumping earnestness and trivialization, pic deftly strikes its targets via a well-built plot, a winsomely hapless central trio and a script that provides an unusually balanced view of how the armed struggle shapes Colombia day-to-day. Film deserves exposure at politically themed fests, but its tight focus will restrict interest beyond Spanish-speaking territories.

Though originally written 10 years ago, the film still strikes the right contempo note. Alvaro (Mario Duarte), Tamar (Venezuelan thesp Coraima Torres) and Santiago (Vicente Luna) are mime artists anxious to leave Colombia for Spain. Their potential benefactor, businessman Norberto (Nicolas Montero), is called away on business, leaving the trio in charge of some boxes. Norberto is arrested, and upon opening the boxes, the gang discovers high-grade weaponry -- almost impossible to get rid of without suffering the consequences.
 
Read more here.
 
Semana International delivers news from Colombia in English. Find more in our home.