Bastards y Diablos

I attended the premiere of Bastards y Diablos at L.A. Film Festival last night. I wasn't entirely certain what to expect but almost from the first moment the film captured my heart with every aspect, from story to acting to cinematography to score. The last film that did that is a small Scottish film called "Dear Frankie" which I first saw 10 years ago. This film has some similarities to that one - a story line based on the screenwriter's history, a strong emphasis on an absentee father, and direction and cinematography that make the country in which it was filmed (Columbia in this case) like one of the characters of the film. Until last night Columbia to me was primarily known for coffee, cocaine and cartels. But what I saw in this film was an incredibly breathtaking country with amazing, vibrant people. I was extremely touched by the story which took the estranged half-brothers to various significant places in their father's native land as per his last wishes. There is humor, love, anger and realizations of how one's father (good or bad) impacts the choices you make and the person you become. The quality of the film belies the extremely small budget on which it was made. I hope it gets a distributor, I believe it would touch many hearts as it did mine and everyone else I spoke to following the screening.