Bicentenario

Exactly 200 years after Simón Bolívars Colombian war of independence a campaign that ran from late May to early August 1819 filmmaker Pablo AlvarezMesa follows the iconic Libertadors route through the country At each historic battleground he calls on a medium to summon the generals spirit helping AlvarezMesa reveal Bolívars permanent and more or less visible presence in an array of social rituals and state structures This historic legacy after two centuries transfigured into a blend of political mysticism and unchallenged military doctrine remains an integral part of Colombias collective unconscious It keeps finding new expression in an endless cycle of violence which this intriguing mediumlength film seeks to exorcise Charlotte Selb