Festivals: Criticism of “Un varón”, by Fabian Hernandez (Directors’ Weeks) – #Cannes2022

By Diego Battle, from Cannes

qualification

Published on 05-24-2022

A wonderful film about the rough and difficult life of a young man in one of the dirtiest parts of Bogota.

Male (Colombia – France – Netherlands – Germany / 2022). Text and direction: Fabian Hernandez. Cast: Dylan Felipe Ramirez Espetia, Jonathan Stephen Rodriguez, Juanita Carrillo Ortiz, Enrique Valencia Garzon, Camilo Riano. Photography: Sophia Oggioni. Music by Mike and Fabian Kurtzer. Duration: 82 minutes.Carlos (Dylan Felipe Ramirez Espetia) lives part-time in a youth hostel in central Bogota and part-time with his older sister Nicole (Juanita Carrillo Ortiz) in a boarding house in the declining popular neighborhood of San Bernardo. We don’t really know how it survives (context is always quite sloppy), although we sometimes see him selling a joint so that it can be a source of income.

It’s the middle of the Christmas season and all he wants is to get together with his mother (who apparently lives far away) and his sister (who apparently works as a prostitute in a crowded and dangerous area) to celebrate the holidays.

Carlos’ delicacy and pain are realized in every shot of this feature for the first time, but the context forces him to hide and observe any trait of tenderness or sweetness and instead mimic the violent and provocative attitudes of a stereotypical alpha male on the streets. In the midst of these contradictions, a protagonist roams containing frustration and fears of complying with the upbringing rituals (sexuality, use of weapons, etc.) that are imposed on him.

Carlos—what some call an unsympathetic gonorrhea—is well aware of his haircut, NFL jerseys, dancing and hip-hop singing as a form of liberation, and communication through street slang, and in this sense, screenwriter and director Fabian Hernandez follows him closely with sincerity and respect. And without judging him even when his actions are unjustified or questionable.

Another great discovery Male related to the environment. For many scenes, Hernandez chose the outer areas of San Bernardo, a crime-dominated neighborhood in the process of being renovated, with permanent demolition of its old homes that could serve as a documentary backdrop to the fictional story.

There are some areas of the film that don’t work effectively (for example, various on-camera testimonials about the brutality of surviving on the street), but when the camera follows the protagonist and we see him crying in his privacy, we’re immersed in a life story with tremendous emotional intensity.

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