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Sayles' follow-up to his magnificent Lone Star sees the independent writer/ director once again stripping away the `official' version of history.
In an unnamed Latin-American country, wealthy doctor Humberto Fuentes (Luppi) decides to visit his former students, who went off to work in some of the poorest regions as part of an international health programme. Accompanied on his journey by a young orphan (Gonzalez), a military deserter (Delgado) and a defrocked priest, Humberto soon discovers horrifying evidence of the atrocities perpetrated by the army and guerillas on the native population of the area.
Filmed entirely in Spanish with a cast of unknowns, and boasting a Latin-American soundtrack, this will undoubtedly struggle at the box office. Shame, for it's yet another piece of consummate, heart-felt storytelling from Sayles, with universal relevance. Structured like a parable - hence the allegorical journey undertaken by the protagonist - it blends the personal and the political to masterful effect. Required viewing that should be sought out.
