Strange lights are said to be falling from the sky. When a reporter arrives in a neighbourhood on the outskirts of MedellÃn, four marginalized youths who live there steal his camera and begin documenting their lives of violence and solitude — perhaps because, all too often, despair finds its outlet in delinquency. The debut feature by STILLZ, best known for directing music videos for artists such as Bad Bunny, with a soundtrack by Arca.
Stillz turns away from the stratospheric success of Bad Bunny and RosalÃa’s music videos to turn his attention to cinema, Barrio Triste is his first feature film, produced by Harmony Korine’s EDGLRD. We’re in MedellÃn, where locals speak of lights in the sky descending onto the street, and a journalist has his camera stolen by a group of young people. From now on, the film belongs to them; no one was telling their story, so they might as well steal a camera and tell it themselves. The film, like its characters, hides immense empathy behind a facade of violence. Being young is complicated enough as it is, much more so when no one seems to care about you. Nihilism with a glimmer of hope, however faint, and all of this set to an incredible soundtrack by Arca. Raise your hand if you’ve never thought that a light should appear from the sky to take us away from here, it doesn’t matter where, as long as it takes us far away where we can reinvent ourselves. (Rui Mendes)
