1989 Camilo Matiz

In 1989, Colombian director Camilo Matiz wants to talk about violence, especially about the ongoing bloodshed in his country. But instead of approaching the subject in a global, sociological way, the director analyses in depth a single violent act, portraying his characters (three customers and a waitress) on a rainy night. Vincent Gallo plays the lead, in a role that seems much influenced by his past work (and by his real personality). The film is divided into two distinct parts: beginning with a section based on a long conversation and then shifting to a strong scene which depicts violence in a purely visual way.

1989 is ambitious: it wants to make us reflect on time, on the importance and the relevance of a single moment, but also on the possibilities of the power of cinema to capture elusive sensations. Its approach may occasionally fall into pretentiousness, but that doesn’t prevent us from admiring the potential of its slow motion scenes. The problem is that this admiration is linked in an unclear way with the reflection on violence that the film aims to propose.

Are these beautiful shots glorifying the violence depicted? Or do they want to make us conscious of the horror of these events? The relationship between technique and purpose looks ambiguous in this still promising film.

Natalia Ames