La Soledad

Venezualan Jorge Thielen Armand makes an auspicious feature bow with this study of his country's descent into despair. Artfully blending fact and fiction, Armand revisits his great-grandparents' crumbling Caracas mansion, where former maid Maria lives with her grandson, José, his girlfriend Marley and their young daughter Adrializ. Despite being a builder, José can do little about the villa's disrepair and invasive vegetation. And he's also fighting a losing battle in a city where finding milk and medication is an ordeal. When the landlord decides to demolish the house, Marley decides it's time to head for Colombia, but José has faith in an old rumour about hidden treasure. Drawing on family movies to contrast happy times with the grim realities of a society blighted by declining oil revenues, rampaging inflation and widening class divides, Thielen Armand coaxes affecting performances out of friends who are essentially playing themselves. The action meanders occasionally, while some of the symbolism is overloaded. But getting the film made at all in the face of increasing censorship is remarkable.