The Kings of the World

A brutal but strikingly beautiful portrayal of a group of street boys' search for a better future in the dark side of Colombian society.

The Kings of the World very deservedly won the main prize at this year's San Sebastián International Film Festival, and follows five young boys who, although they feel let down by family, friends, and society, refuse to give up their dream of a better life. From their everyday life in the streets of Medellín, the boys travel out into the countryside in search of a small piece of land, which turns out to be one that one of them has inherited from his grandmother. For a gang that is used to never expecting anything from anyone, it turns out that cooperating to claim the inheritance will be anything but simple.

Director Laura Mora Ortega depicts the boys' lives with both respect and curiosity, and their situation neither appears beautiful nor pitch-black. A central part of the portrayal is also David Gallego's (Bird of Passage, Embrace of the Serpent) superb cinematography. The fierce beauty of Colombian nature is revealed through a series of dreamy, poetic scenes that carry both the characters and the audience away from the harsh realities of the film.

Jon Sæter (Films from the South 2022)