Directed by Santiago Caicedo, Paola Gaviria
Colombia, Ecuador • 2018 • 97 mins. • In Spanish with English subtitles
Based on beloved Colombian-Ecuadorian artist Power Paola’s graphic novel of the same name, Virus Tropical is a brilliantly line-drawn, gorgeous black-and-white film covering roughly twenty years in the life of Paola, born to an average middle-class Bogotá family. Paola is a mischievous, spirited girl, blossoming into a headstrong young woman who’s something of an outsider. The filmmakers beautifully capture Paola’s—and her family’s— travails including new children, domestic dramas, upheavals, and the normal stuff of life, crafting a film of subtle power and nuanced emotional intelligence. “An amazing look at a life that feels both familiar and exotic, and if we look inward, perhaps all of our own adventures have the potential to fascinate in the same way.” —Josh Hurtado, Screen Anarchy. Winner, Audience Award, 2018 SXSW Film Festival. Ages 16+.
Filmography: First feature
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