Cultural post of the night
Ecuador is not known for its movies. Think real hard, try to name one Ecuadorian film. If you managed, I'll be really impressed.
However, there is a young Ecuadorian filmmaker who has been making waves, Sebastian Cordero. I saw his first movie a couple of years ago. Ratas, Ratones, Rateros was a gritty movie about urban teens living on the margins of Quito and Guayaquil. It was intense, but I loved it - it captured a reality that I have such a hard time talking about and explaining to folks here. At the same time, it was very disturbing and violent, so I've been somewhat reluctant to recommend it to people, because I don't want them to think that's all there is to Ecuador.
His latest movie, Cronicas, just came out on DVD. Starring John Leguizamo with his Spanglish skills as a smarmy reporter out of Miami, it's a story about a serial killer and a critique of the media. I think the plot was captivating, as well as deeply, deeply disturbing, but mostly I was just watching everything and soaking it in: the prisons, the bamboo houses on stilts over standing water, the heat, the accents, the newspapers the slang, the music...it was like a mini-trip to Ecuador. It's also got enough of a Silence of the Lambs feel to be interesting to people who could never find Ecuador on a map. Sebastian Cordero is pretty amazing, but I also have the same reaction to this as Ratas. I wanna bring this home to show my parents what things look like (since I've pretty much given up on ever getting them to see the real thing in person) but at the same time...child molesters, mob violence, serial killers, scary prisons...yeah, I'm not so sure they're gonna want to watch this and hear, "Look where I spend my time!" The making of featurette on the DVD is great, too - and I saw several shots of the neighborhood where I used to work, right across the street from the old shelter. It's time to go back.
So, if you're not easily disturbed, go check it out.
However, there is a young Ecuadorian filmmaker who has been making waves, Sebastian Cordero. I saw his first movie a couple of years ago. Ratas, Ratones, Rateros was a gritty movie about urban teens living on the margins of Quito and Guayaquil. It was intense, but I loved it - it captured a reality that I have such a hard time talking about and explaining to folks here. At the same time, it was very disturbing and violent, so I've been somewhat reluctant to recommend it to people, because I don't want them to think that's all there is to Ecuador.
His latest movie, Cronicas, just came out on DVD. Starring John Leguizamo with his Spanglish skills as a smarmy reporter out of Miami, it's a story about a serial killer and a critique of the media. I think the plot was captivating, as well as deeply, deeply disturbing, but mostly I was just watching everything and soaking it in: the prisons, the bamboo houses on stilts over standing water, the heat, the accents, the newspapers the slang, the music...it was like a mini-trip to Ecuador. It's also got enough of a Silence of the Lambs feel to be interesting to people who could never find Ecuador on a map. Sebastian Cordero is pretty amazing, but I also have the same reaction to this as Ratas. I wanna bring this home to show my parents what things look like (since I've pretty much given up on ever getting them to see the real thing in person) but at the same time...child molesters, mob violence, serial killers, scary prisons...yeah, I'm not so sure they're gonna want to watch this and hear, "Look where I spend my time!" The making of featurette on the DVD is great, too - and I saw several shots of the neighborhood where I used to work, right across the street from the old shelter. It's time to go back.
So, if you're not easily disturbed, go check it out.