The first film directed by Ciro Guerra, who shot the highly acclaimed "Embrace of the Serpent". This is really something you won't expect. Picture this, a man with a chair on his back, dark glasses and armed with an umbrella against sunlight providing his service (Lift) for people and a one-legged man with a traumatic past form a bond. What's your first thought? Not so interesting? Well, I suggest you think again. Because this one is a winner here. It totally delivers. The film provides an exploration of Bogotá and its lonesome corners. I have seen a powerful documentary called Orozco the Embalmer (2001) by Japanese photographer Kiyotaka Tsurisaki which takes place in the vicinity and crime riddled Bogota. Well, the Wandering Shadows is not on the same lines but has a power to open some eyes without being watered down. The film brings out some intense characters arcs with a common past of violence and by the hope for a better tomorrow. It shows how two opposites are used to create a balance of life, fuelled by the oppression around them. There are no scenery changes, dress changes or special effects which allows the viewer to truly focus on the characters as they travel towards a bittersweet ending. The biggest element that makes up this movie is the black and white tone which contributed to the atmosphere since it's a low budget film. Overall, If you want a movie that you can sit down and thoroughly engage yourself in, then I'd recommend this. The actors were great, the whole play style to it fitted, and it's well written.
Review of Wandering Shadows
