The gang odyssey of “Barrio Triste” intrigues Venice

The Venice Film Festival yesterday unveiled one of the most anticipated films in its program: “Barrio Triste,” a frenetic and stark journey through a Colombian suburb in search of a glimmer of light, directed by Stillz , who attended the premiere with his face covered .

The work has been produced by the provocative Harmony Korine and features the electronic and experimental music of Venezuelan Arca, both leaders of the independent scene, while Stillz, American-Colombian and author of several Bad Bunny music videos, makes his big screen debut with this bold proposal .

Expectations were high. Weeks before the festival, the director of the screening, Alberto Barbera, had hinted at the "appearance" of the "bad bunny" in the film, generating a stir among the audience. However, at the end of the screening, many viewers were left wondering: had he really appeared or not? This mystery is part of the atmosphere surrounding the film, both on and off screen.

"Barrio Triste" is set in a Medellín suburb where residents claim to see lights descending from the sky every night. In this context, a group of reporters arrives in the neighborhood to capture the strange apparitions, but are quickly attacked by young gang members who steal their cameras while live. This action begins a long sequence shot that, through the same camera, reveals the harsh reality faced by the main gang members: Piojo, Rata, Cuchilla, and Mundomalo.

Set in the 1980s, the film portrays a world of bricks and narrow streets where violence is commonplace, young people roam around armed with machetes or guns, and mothers light candles and set up altars for their "disappeared" children. As night falls, the narrative takes on an even more sinister tone, bordering on horror, as rumors spread that a monster lives in the "Barrio Triste" (Sad Neighborhood), preying on those killed in criminal conflicts.

Despite this, the young people walk fearlessly through the devastated streets of their neighborhood. In this nighttime wandering, Stillz seeks to capture a trace of light and hope. To do so, he interviewed some of the gang members, giving them the opportunity to express their thoughts on life, death, and the future, as well as to confess words they struggle to pronounce. The film thus becomes an intimate and raw portrait of youth condemned to survive in a hostile environment.

"Barrio Triste" is competing in the Horizontes section of the Mostra , dedicated to new avant-garde cinema. Its premiere was attended by Arca and Stillz himself, who appeared on the red carpet with his face covered by a scarf, maintaining the mystery that surrounds his work.