Acclaimed film explores cruel reality with humor and humanity
By hola | Published | No Comments
The Salvadoran film, “Malancrianza,” narrates the story of Cleo Antonio de Alegría, a small-town piñata seller who receives an anonymous extortion letter demanding $500 within 72 hours if he wants to avoid being murdered.
Living in a country with a lot of violence and a high crime rate, Don Cleo personifies what it is like to live in fear and despair. As the clock is ticking, desperation sets in, causing him stress and leading him to alcohol. In one comic-tragic scene, he finds himself drunk-dancing in front of a dimly lit bar in the middle of the night. As festive but melancholic music plays in the background, he knows he might be enjoying his last hours of life.
Written and directed by César Arturo Menéndez, “Malacrianza”, is the first Salvadoran feature film to make the rounds on the international scene since 1969. When it was first released in 2014, it headlined at the American Film Institute Silver Theatre in Silver Spring. Last week it received another Washington-area screening, as part of the Ibero-American Film Showcase at the Embassy of El Salvador on May 16.
While “Malacriaza” is a low-budget film, its beauty lies in the storyline and its artistic expression, despite limited resources. In fact, the film is so successful in this regard that it could be seen as a call for the country to reflect on its own potential and possibilities.
There is a lot of complexity in the main character. In the first scene, Don Cleo visits the doctor, who gives him a pair of green and red sunglasses that he rarely takes off for the remainder of the movie. Through these colorful lenses, we see cruel realities as Don Cleo muddles through an experience that has become all too commonplace in El Salvador. The movie, however, also highlights the human capacity to cope and find hope. Don Cleo turns to several people, including his doctor, the women he’s dating, and his ex-girlfriend, to get the money he needs to pay his extortionists and gets the money from whom he least expects it.
The film is authentic in its language, sense of humor, and in its characters. Salvador Solis, playing Don Cleo, does a spectacular job interpreting the lighthearted and humble piñata seller facing a frightening ultimatum. Solis captures Don Cleo’s moments of joy, sadness, despair, vulnerability, and hope. The film’s supporting character, Areceli, (Karla Valencia), is not a professional actress, which makes her interpretation even more real and natural.
“Malacrianza” deals adroitly with the delicate theme of violence that affects people in El Salvador on a daily basis. The film is a reflection of reality in a country where many of its citizens have been exposed to extortion (also known as “rentas”) that have led to real-life murders and other violence at the hands of gang members. As the movie portrays, it is not uncommon to find a dead body on the sidewalk.
In the film, Menéndez does a great job in balancing reality with humor. Moviegoers could easily leave feeling depressed and pessimistic if it weren’t for Menéndez’ ability to incorporate humor and a sense of humanity and hope, despite the situation. In the process, he highlights the resilience of the Salvadoran people to get through tough times, leaving us with a sense of optimism in what seems as decadent and hopeless situation.
—Estefani Flores
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