El paraíso

Enrico Maria Artale

DISTRIBUTION

drama

Julio has a close bond with his mother, Inés. In their ramshackle little house in a suburb of Rome, they take in illegal drug couriers from their homeland, Colombia. With their hard-earned money, they go out dancing together. But one day, their spotless mother-son relationship is disrupted by the arrival of a beautiful Colombian woman who has fallen ill after swallowing cocaine packets.

The bond between 40-year-old Julio and his spirited mother, Inés, is hard to describe. At times, their relationship is endearing and touching, but just as often, it pushes the boundaries of what’s considered normal. Julio and Inés attract and repel each other like the sun and the moon. In between, they run a small drug operation together with couriers from their homeland, Colombia. With their hard-earned money, they go dancing together in seedy cafés on the outskirts of Rome.

One day, the arrival of a handsome drug courier causes a rift between mother and son. The girl has fallen ill after swallowing cocaine pellets, and Julio takes her under his wing, much to Inés’s annoyance. Meanwhile, other problems gradually come to light. Julio will have to take great risks to be able to dance with his mother one last time.

The outstanding performances by mother and son, the original story, and the rousing Latin soundtrack make for a delightful viewing experience. It’s no surprise that “El Paraíso” won the award for best screenplay at the Venice Film Festival. The film ends with an absurd and tragicomic scene that lingers in the mind long after the credits roll.