“My film would be a class B ghost story. A metaphor for the reality we were living, and at the same time a tribute to the Colombian films that inspired my adolescent years”; a statement made by the narrator of Theo Montoya’s debut feature film“Anhell69”, a statement that shyly preludes the great depth of this multilayered film. Premiering as part of the 37th edition of the Venice International Film Critics’ Week, “Anhell69” is an inspired contemporary take of a mise en abyme film.
“Anhell69” is in part a behind-the-scenes cataloguing of a short film by the same name that never truly comes to fruition; at least not in its original planned form. The film’s narrator is a young director whose film is a reimagining of the city he grew up in; stating “‘Anhell69′ was set in a dystopian Medellín, without past or memory, where Pablo Escobar had become the father of a nation without any paternal reference.”. The youthful director speaks of the film as if it is his interpretation of his city’s disdain for the queer community; showcasing how those with unconventional sexual desires are outcasted by society, while simultaneously being violently sought out by the government through unprovoked vengeance. This inner film, which at large is about youth who turn to spectrophilia when death plagues their home city, shadows the main topic which Theo Montoya tackles in this feature; how does one carry on when constantly faced with death and the deterioration of dreams.
“Anhell69” is not comprised of a singular shooting technique or style, but rather the film is composed of various visual aids that assist in the telling of Montoya’s multi-framed story.
The incorporation of these varied visuals (VHS-esque footage, B-roll interviews, video news clips, social media screen recordings) overtop the voice of an omniscient narrator creates a deeply personal testimony; one of a man’s understanding of what is happening to his community, his city, and to his country.
In an interview with “Variety Magazine” Montoya explains just how personal his feature film is. He does so by explaining that his own experiences are within the film’s framing, how his friends play a major role in its body, and how his city’s blood shed are at its core.
“To go through my life is to talk about war, religion, cinema,” Montoya shares with Variety, continuing, “And about when I met Camilo Najar, Sharlott, MH, Alejandro Paz, Julian David, Mendigana and Juan Perez. To talk about them is to evoke the film we could never make together, the annihilation and the ‘Non-Future’ of my generation, caused by suicide and drugs, and also by the oppression of a conservative and violent society, which tries to exterminate anything that would challenge the status quo. […] We are finally making ‘Anhell69,’ not how we first imagined, but in the manner life is allowing us to do it, me and my remaining friends, the protagonists of the film. ‘Anhell69’ is the immortalization of our recollections, our memory, our life before death, and maybe a warning for the generations and governments to follow.”
While “Anhell69” is Montoya’s first feature film, it is not the sole body of work that grapples with these same topics, imageries or even cast. “Son on Sodom”, Montoya’s 2020 short film that premiered at Cannes Film Festival, was our introduction to the film’s protagonist Camilo Najar, and to the city that affected the lives of their community. “Anhell69” is the expansion of this short film, a dedication to those who he had planned to originally have help create the body of his first feature film.
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