La vendedora de rosas
| La vendedora de rosas | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Víctor Gaviria |
| Written by | Víctor Gaviria Carlos Henao |
| Based on | The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen |
| Produced by | Erwin Goggel |
| Starring | Lady Tabares Marta Correa Mileider Gil Diana Murillo Giovanny Quiroz |
| Cinematography | Rodrigo Lalinde |
| Music by | Luis Franco |
Release date |
|
Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | Colombia |
| Language | Spanish |
La vendedora de rosas (The rose seller) is a 1998 Colombian film directed by Víctor Gaviria. The film is loosely based on the 1845 fairy tale "The Little Match Girl" by Hans Christian Andersen; it was entered into the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.[1] The film was selected as the Colombian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 71st Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[2][3]
Many of the actors that starred in the film are now dead or in prison.[4] Giovanni Quiroz was murdered in Medellín and Leidy Tabares was incarcerated for her involvement in the murder of a taxi driver in Medellín.[4] Elkin Giovanny Rodriguez (Don Hector in the film) and Alex Bedoya (Milton) are dead now. Some of them are still alive but living in tough conditions, such as Mileider Gil, who entered the world of prostitution a few years after the film was finished.[citation needed]
Plot
The film is set at Christmas time, in the poor and dangerous neighborhood known as Barrio Triste, in Medellín, at the end of the 90s. The film begins with Andrea, a poor girl who lives in the Miramar neighborhood. The girl flees her home, after of beated by her mother, and goes to look for Mónica, who is a seller of roses, and who also had fled her family after the death of her grandmother. Monica leads and lives with her friends, who are immersed in a difficult life of drug use and prostitution. The group is composed of Diana, known as Cachetona, Judy, who prostitutes herself, and Claudia, who also sells roses. They live with a poor and low-income pension. The city is celebrating the Novena of aguinaldos.
A group of gang members, led by Don Héctor, and among them, Zarco and the Dwarf, discuss their next blows. They spot a drug addict, Zarco and The Dwarf attack and steal him, then Zarco shoots him down, an act that Don Héctor, the gang leader, does not like.
In the city, Andrea starts selling roses like her friends, while Judy prostitutes herself to buy clothes. While selling roses, a drunk man gives Mónica a watch, she thinks it is a gift from heaven from her mother and plans to give it to her boyfriend Anderson, a young drug dealer. However, she breaks up with him when she finds out that he was flirting with Marcela, a friend of Claudia.
Andrea wanders the streets and is surprised by a homeless man who tries to abuse her. Choco and Zorro chases him away, but in the process they kill a homeless man who was dozing in a park by mistaking him for the one who tried to abuse Andrea.
Monica and Andrea return to Miramar; Andrea returns to her home but flees again after stealing her sister's skates and picking up her clothes. Meanwhile, Don Héctor's gang is arguing about Zarco's reckless actions that put the gang at risk; Monica meets her cousin, the Dwarf, who asks her to show him the watch they had given her the night before, and at that moment she is deceived by Zarco, who exchanges the watch for another of lower quality.
Monica returns to her old home where she plans to spend Christmas Eve, until his uncle-in-law tries to abuse her, so she leaves again. Back in Barrio Triste, Mónica contacts Chinga, a homeless boy, to steal a chain and get money to buy fireworks and clothes. Andrea and Judy sell the skates that Andrea stole from her sister, Judy takes advantage of her. Andrea notices and becomes depressed, but Monica confronted Judy, and they reconcile after that.
The police follow in the footsteps of Don Héctor's gang. He, knowing that they are looking for Zarco, decides to visit him and tell him to hide, but the latter refuses. Don Héctor threatens him and leaves, at that moment Zarco and Mónica meet. Zarco chases her and orders her to give him back the watch he gave her, since the one he took had gotten wet and been damaged, but Monica had already exchanged it for fireworks. He then beats her and threatens to kill her.
Diana's father came searching for her and convinced her to return home with him. She says goodbye to her friends and leaves with her father.
One night, Judy gets into the car of a hitman, who tries to abuse her, but she stabs him and runs away, but she is hurt.
Elsewhere, Anderson, Milton, Choco, and Zorro enjoy a party with Andrea. Anderson tries to seduce Andrea while Choco's gang tries to steal a briefcase, but they don't succeed, they are shot and Milton is wounded.
Monica returns to Miramar with Judy and Andrea. Andrea returns home and her mom tells her that she loves her and will treat her better.
Meanwhile, Zarco and the Dwarf rob a taxi driver and then Zarco stabs him, leaving him seriously injured. The Dwarf gets angry with Zarco, who attacks him and cut his hand. Wounded he goes to Don Héctor and tells him what happened, Don Héctor considers that El Zarco is getting out of hand, and they go out looking for him. Monica manages to get to the back of her house, which is in ruins, and she starts hallucinating about her mother. Under the influence of boxer glue, used as an inhalant, Zarco finds her and stabs her to death. Zarco is mortally wounded by Don Héctor's gang, and finally dies in a gutter.
Cast
- Leidy Tabares — Mónica
- Marta Correa — Judy
- Mileider Gil — Andrea
- Diana Murillo — Cachetona
- Liliana Giraldo — Claudia
- Álex Bedoya — Milton
- Giovanni Quiroz — El Zarco
Accolades
The movie won the Premio del Público award at the 39th Cartagena Film Festival, among other national prizes.[5]
See also
- Lady, la vendedora de rosas
- List of submissions to the 71st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Colombian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: La vendedora de rosas". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
- ^ Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- ^ "45 Countries Submit Films for Oscar Consideration". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 19 November 1998. Archived from the original on 19 February 1999. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ a b "Slum child movie star jailed for murder". theage.com.au. Melbourne. 11 October 2003. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
- ^ "Colombian Film: LA VENDEDORA DE ROSAS".
External links
 | This article related to a Colombian film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article about an independent drama film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |