Léalo en español
The subtle narrative of I Saw Three Black Lights, which premiered in the Panorama section of the Berlinale, follows the journey of José de los Santos (Jesús María Mina) as he looks for a place to die in peace in the rain forest of Cauca State, near the Colombian Pacific.
José believes passing away peacefully will allow his soul to reach heaven without wandering indefinitely through the purgatory reserved for those who perish violently. It is not a simple task because the region has not only the dangers of any tropical jungle, but is also full of armed groups and others dedicated to the exploitation of natural resources, none of whom care about a personal spiritual search and are very bothered by a man they distrust.
In Colonial Colombia, La Nueva Granada, many runaway slaves took refuge in the jungle. Conditions in the area made a search almost impossible. Isolation allowed the creation of settlements of Afro-descendants who still exist, their beliefs and rituals a mixture of their ancestors’ religion and the conquerors’ Christianity.
José, the protagonist, is not suicidal nor does he have a death wish. He is a perceptive man who noticed omens that announced his death: a visit from Pium-Pium, his dead son; the prophetic song of a bird; inexplicable lights. He can interpret these signs thanks to his knowledge. His job, a calling more than a trade, is a healer of the living, but he also plays the role of a tropical Charon who accompanies the dying and helps them make a peaceful transition; and also that of officiating rituals for the deceased.
During his journey, written with a sort of relaxed precision by Santiago Lozano Álvarez and Fernando del Razo, José interacts with the living and the dead alike, without any hint of the supernatural, or terror of an afterlife; just the everyday violence in Latin America. Juan Velásquez’s camera accompanies José, keeping its distance and with few close-ups, as though trying to respect his privacy while showing the jungle and its inhabitants – human and animal, living and dead – almost too beautifully.
Avoiding a violent death while searching for a place to die seems counterintuitive, as does the production design, which is anything but funereal: lush, beautiful, refreshing. The result is ironic and splendid. The outstanding sound, its recording, design and mixing by José Miguel Enríquez, Federico González Jordán and Academy Award winner Carlos Cortés, turn the jungle into a protective bubble even in moments of danger: the noise of birds and the river, mixed with percussions but also with bursts of gunshots. We are on a sensory journey on which any eventual misstep on the part of the natural actors is forgotten.
I Saw Three Black Lights is a coproduction that is much more than a monetary one: each country contributed those elements in which they are expert. Let’s hope this creative collaboration will help the film find an international audience.
Director: Santiago Lozano Álvarez
Screenplay: Santiago Lozano Álvarez, Fernando del Razo
Producers Ana Maria Ruiz Navia, Oscar Ruiz Navia
Cast: Jesús María Mina, Julián Ramirez , Carol Hurtado, John Alex Castillo
Cinematography: Juan Velásquez
Editing: Ana García, Santiago Lozano Álvarez
Music: Nidia Góngora
Sound Design: Jose Miguel Enríquez
Sound: Federico González Jordán
Production Design: Marcela Gómez, Daniel Rincón
Production companies: Contravía Films (Colombia) Malacosa Cine (Mexico), Dublin Films, (France), Autentika Films (Germany), Bárbara Films (Colombia)
World Sales: ArtHood Entertainment
Berlin Film Festival (Panorama)
In Spanish
87 minutes
