It may just be the beginning of October, but the country of Colombia is ready to send in its entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. The country has submitted 22 films for consideration, but, unfortunately, no film has made the nominations cut. With some fairly positive reception out of Cannes, Colombia is hoping that La Playa D.C will be the film to finally make it to Oscar night.
La Playa D.C is a coming-of-age drama centered around a trio of Afro-Colombian brothers who had to flee the country’s Pacific coast during a civil war that took the life of their father. The film centers around Tomas (Luis Carlos Guevara) who finds a trade for himself in very radical, hip-hop influenced hair styling inspired by haircuts that he has seen his brother Chaco (James Solis) sport after spending time in “el Norte” – the USA. Tomas goes through his first romantic relationship and prematurely starts a career styling hair when the worst happens – his younger brother, Jairo (Andres Murillo), goes missing.
Neil Young (no, not that Neil Young) at The Hollywood Reporter wrote a positive review about the film during a screening at the Cannes film festival. Young writes, “it’s a minutely-observed peek into hardscrabble lives that pours intoxicatingly fresh aguardiente into a rather dusty old bottle.” 2013 has seen a good number of quality coming-of-age movies, from The Kings of Summer to The Way, Way Back, but expect La Playa D.C to take that formula and use it at a lens to observe the gritty nature of the harshest part of the country’s capital.
This February we’ll see if La Playa D.C will finally get Colombia on the short list for the Academy Awards. Meanwhile, check out the trailer below.
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