19 May 2021

Litigante

From At The Movies, 7:32 pm on 19 May 2021

In this sharp character study by Colombian director Franco Lolli, a mother and daughter - played by Lolli's real-life cousin and mother - argue over work, health, romance and children.

Simon Morris: Last year's film festival favourite Litigante has no big names attached - in fact it comes from a country whose movie output has been aimed, as far as I can tell, almost entirely at the local audience - Colombia, South America.

It's about a lawyer and mother, Sylvia, who's having a bad year.

The bane of her life - as is often the case in these films - is her pigheaded mother, Leticia. Leticia's cancer has returned and the treatment required has become, in her opinion, more trouble than it's worth.

Sylvia is at her wits' end, trying to keep her mother from doing anything desperate. Her one weapon is her young son Antonio, who Leticia adores. But Antonio is having his own problems at school, constantly bullied for only having one parent.

But these are ongoing problems for Sylvia, and she could probably handle them if it weren't for new trouble at work. Her boss is clearly a crook and working for an equally corrupt Latin American government.

With every possibility the law will come calling, Sylvia is ordered to face up to the media and give them the old razzle-dazzle.

But right now, Sylvia is in no mood to give anyone any sort of razzle-dazzle, least of all campaigning TV journalist Abel, who gives her a hard time on-air.

But things can get better in unexpected ways. Sylvia meets Abel later when they're both, so to speak, off-duty, and one thing leads to another. She particularly warms to him because he gets on so well with young Antonio.

Sylvia and Abel take Antonio to a motor-racing event, and it turns out to be Antonio's favourite thing in the world.

But as always, you can't have everything. Sylvia's mother Leticia takes an instant dislike to Abel. How can you trust the man who humiliated Sylvia so publicly?

Litigante is a deceptively well-structured story. None of the threads seem connected at the start, and even when they do, there's no sense of any manipulation going on.

In fact, the script came from two French writers before it was picked up by director Franco Lolli and relocated to beautiful Bogota, Colombia.

It's a film that rests firmly on the edgy charm of its two female leads - played by Lolli's cousin and mother.

Leticia Gomez as 'Leticia' is volatile and unpredictable - one minute angry and determined, the next twisted round the little finger of her grandson.

And as Sylvia, Carolina Sanín is impossible to take your eyes off - tough, tender, loving and the one person in the movie that everyone - good and bad - relies on to sort things out. The story is will she finally find time for herself?

Carolina is the main reason to watch Litigante, but there are lots of others as well.

I agree with last year's Festival audiences - definitely worth seeing.

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