A POET

Colombia, Germany, Sweden | 2025 | DCP | 120 min. | Spanish with English subtitles
Director: Simón Mesa Soto
Cast: Ubeimar Rios, Rebeca Andrade, Guillermo Cardona
Once a promising poet, Oscar has since devolved into a total failure—drunk, unemployed, alienated from his family, and terminally aggrieved at the success of his peers. While teaching at a Medellín high school, he encounters a gifted student whose poetry reignites his passion. Taking this prodigy under his wing, Oscar attempts to get his life back on track—or at least secure a better one for his protege. Shot on gritty 16mm with a nonprofessional cast, this caustically funny portrait of an artist as a middle-aged loser is surprisingly poignant. (MK)