Field of Amapolas

Juan Carlos Melo Guevara's Field of Amapolas (Colombia, 2012) -  Emilio and his nine-year-old son are forced to abandon their parcel of land overnight due to threats that they and the locals have been collaborating with the enemy in the guerilla war that has been ravaging rural Colombia for years. A relative helps them relocate and, despite his initial reticence, Emilio ends up working on a poppy plantation. At the heart of the story is Luisa, with whom Emilio’s son shares the secret companionship of a neighborhood dog. Filmed in the south of Colombia, near Melo Guevara’s native Ipiales, this is a film about the plight of innocent civilians displaced by war. Sitting on the fence is not an option and it is almost impossible for them not to get mixed up in illegal activities. “You don’t have to be old to die here,” says one of the characters in a dialogue that reveals the omnipresence of death. Given the storyline, we can hardly expect a happy ending, yet the final flashback of the children leaves us with an inkling of hope for a better future. 2012CAR.RATING: 7