Days of Santiago

Josué Méndez's 2004 Peruvian film follows Santiago returning to Lima after service in the army. He cannot find work, wants to study, and his former comrades call him into a life of crime; the violence in his own family pulls him back every day. The formal choice is striking: the moments when Santiago holds himself together are in black and white, the moments he loses control in colour. That shows his state without explaining it. Pietro Sibille's performance keeps the tension constant. The film turns post-service trauma into neither a story of heroism nor one of victimhood. Violence and threat are constant. Who it's for: viewers interested in Latin American independent cinema and stories of trauma. Who it's not for: anyone avoiding domestic and sexual violence, or wanting a hopeful close.