US EditionMovie Review: In ‘A Poet,’ a Colombian Farce of Literary Failure and Stubborn Belief
The film satirizes literary pretensions through Oscár's mentorship of a student, highlighting themes of artistic failure and redemption in Colombian literary culture.
- On Friday, 1-2 Special releases "A Poet" in theaters; the film is unrated by the Motion Picture Association and presented in Spanish with English subtitles.
- After years without publication, Oscár Restrepo , an unemployed, divorced writer living with his mother Margarita Soto, lands a high-school teaching job and mentors Yurlady , helping her apply to the Poetry Viva workshop.
- Filmed on grainy 16mm, the movie looks rough and dirty around the edges, visually mirroring its protagonist and subverting Medellín cartel expectations with a Woody Allen-like farce.
- Efraine advises Yurlady to tailor her work about racism or poverty to appeal to liberal European judges, while Yurlady's working-class family sees her as a route to money and Oscár remains uncompromising despite marginalization.
- Reviewer Jake Coyle of The Associated Press rated it three and a half stars, calling Oscár a triumph while noting the film’s precise satire of Colombian cinema and art worlds.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Washington Top News
Movie Review: In ‘A Poet,’ a Colombian farce of literary failure and stubborn belief
In Simón Mesa Soto’s “A Poet,” Oscar Restrepo (Ubeimar Rios) is a failed Colombian writer who keeps a photo of the author José Asunción Silva above his mantle.
Associated Press News
Movie Review: In 'A Poet,' a Colombian farce of literary failure and stubborn belief
In the pantheon of sad-sack protagonists, the central character of Simón Mesa Soto’s “A Poet” is a triumph, writes AP Film Writer Jake Coyle in his review.
“A Poet” - Poetry in motion
“ A Poet,” the subversively funny, sad and poignant film written and directed by Simón Mesa Soto, will gradually enmesh you until you feel a kinship with sad, lonely loser Oscar, a failed poet. Oscar gave up everything for his art—his job, his dignity and his daughter. It’s not so much that he gave anything up because it’s really about the choices he made and the consequences. Ubeimar Rios. Photo Courtesy of 1-2 Special. Told in three chapters, …
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