Gente de Bien
Hilal - ages 13+ - Ajyal Youth Film Festival 2014
Franco Lolli / Feature Narrative / Colombia, France / 2014 / 86 min / Colour / DCP / In Spanish / Arabic, English subtitles / MENA Premiere
Rated: Parental guidance is advised for viewers under the age of 13. Individuals under the age of 13 are not admitted into cinemas unless accompanied by an individual aged 18 or older.
Synopsis
As his mother is relocating in search of a better job, 10-year-old Eric is sent to live with his estranged father Gabriel in a poor quarter of downtown Bogotà. The man works as a carpenter but struggles to make ends meet, and Eric’s only companion is his beloved dog. When father and son are forced to move from the apartment they are renting, Maria Isabel, a wealthy client of his father takes pity on their situation and invites them to stay at her family’s luxurious country villa for the Christmas holidays.
Despite Maria’s good intentions, tensions soon tarnish the façade of kindness put up by Maria’s relatives, exposing the gap between social classes. Eric feels increasingly uncomfortable in this new world, and when his dog’s health begins to deteriorate and requires expensive treatments that his father cannot afford, Eric is forced to face the sad reality of their situation.
Latin American cinema has always been particularly sensitive to social conflict. ‘Gente de Bien’ follows this tradition; playing on the double meaning of its Spanish language title (which means both “rich people” and “good people”), it delivers a nuanced, compassionate tale of human injustice.
About the Director
Franco Lolli is a Colombian filmmaker. He studied directing at La Fémis in Paris. His graduate film, ‘Como todo el mundo’ (2007), won several prizes in international festivals, among them the Grand Prize at Clermont-Ferrand. His short film ‘Rodri’ premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes in 2012. ‘Gente de Bien’, his first feature film, was written while in attendance the Cinéfondation Residence of the Cannes Film Festival.
Credits
- Director
- Franco Lolli
- Screenwriter
- Franco Lolli, Catherine Paillé, Virginie Legeay
- Producer
- Grégoire Debailly
- Editor
- Nicolas Desmaison, Julie Duclaux
- Cinematographer
- Oscar Durán
- Sales Company
- Versatile
- Production Company
- Geko Films
- Cast
- Brayan Santamaría, Carlos Fernando Pérez, Alejandra Borrero, Santiago Martínez, Sofía Rivas