In Carlos César Arbeláez’s debut feature Colours of the Mountain (Los Colores de la Montaña), delightful performances carry an otherwise plodding film. Set in the remote Colombian mountains, the simplistic life of the villagers is threatened as the battle between the military and the FARC guerrillas draws nearer to them. As families begin fleeing the town the children are forced to acknowledge the change in their lives: from innocent pastimes such as school and soccer games, to losing family, friends and the only home they’ve ever known.
Arbeláez has uncovered a brilliant young actor in Hernán Mauricio Ocampo who plays the cheeky Manuel with such expression and humour. Along with best friend Julian (Nolberto Sánchez) and Poca Luz (Genaro Aristizábal), the bespectacled Albino often forced to do the dirty work, Manuel and the local children find their freedom increasingly restricted once a nearby field is discovered to be littered with landmines. It doesn’t help matters that Manuel’s birthday present, a new soccer ball from his father, is kicked off the field and into the restricted area. As the town undergoes changes and locals flee their farms, Manuel and his friends attempt to recover the ball from the mine field in what, to them, seems like the greatest challenge ever faced.
A fundamental coming of age story, Colours of the Mountain suffers from sluggish pacing aided by the director’s insistence to end every scene with a fade out, consequently stunting the flow of the film. The performances of the young cast are unreservedly charming and one has to wonder if they themselves are aware of what they are a part of, or, if like their characters, they still exist in blissful unawareness.
An unassuming film, it was shot on video by Oscar Jiménez and as such has an incredibly intimate feel. The landscape is captured beautifully, highlighting an area of Colombia near its border with Panama. The extreme nature of the violence against townspeople and the evacuation by so many is further heightened by the remote and undisturbed setting, one that feels far from civilisation at first glance.
After winning the Kutxa New Directors Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival in 2010, Colours of the Mountain has charmed festival audiences worldwide as a meditative and captivating film.
By Jess Lomas
Colours of the Mountain/Los Colores de la Montaña is screening:
Sydney – Saturday 14 May 2.15pm (Chauvel, Paddington)
Sunday 15 May 1.15pm (Palace Norton St, Leichhardt)
Melbourne – Wednesday 18 May 7pm (Palace Cinema Como)
Friday 20 May 6.30pm (Kino Cinemas)
Brisbane – Sunday 22 May – 2.45pm (Palace Centro Cinemas)
