A Man of Principle

Francisco Norden's 1984 Colombian film covers the period of internal conflict that began at the end of the forties. In a small town a man working as a cheesemonger comes to head an organisation that eliminates those seen as opponents as the political polarisation deepens. The idea is ordinariness itself. The man is devout, orderly and respected; he sees the killing as a duty and at no point counts himself guilty. The narrative does not make a monster of him, and that is what makes the film disturbing. It was regarded as one of the first substantial treatments in cinema of Colombia's long period of violence. Frank Ramirez leads. The narrative is measured and does not use the violence as something to be displayed. Who it's for: those who like Latin American political cinema. Who it's not for: viewers unfamiliar with Colombian history; the film uses the political division of the period without explaining it.