Popcorn and Passports in Bogotá

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCRMPXHm3D0&t=112s

Our three-day visit showcased the thriving city with its vibrant culture that features art, history, food, music, and vivid colors demonstrating flair that the Colombian term “magical realism” embraces.

Seen on Screen: Breathtaking Bogotá 

Cien Años de Solidad (One-Hundred Years of Solitude), 2024 with Marco Gonzalez and Diego Vásquez as founders of a magical town in Colombia. No one ever said the book for which Gabriel García Márquez won the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature seemed a natural on screen—the flow of language, mystical and mythical elements plus the fact that many characters bear the same name puts extra complications in the mix. But a long list of filmmakers including directors Alex García Lopez and Laura Mora capture the book’s tone over a 16-episode run on Netflix with a piece using whimsical concepts to make harsh truths more palatable.  

Despite fantasy elements, filmmakers sought reality by filming in Colombia’s northern Caribbean regions, going as far as recording the area’s bird calls on the soundtrack. As sometimes happens, such specificity surprises by leading to more general accuracies bearing universal applications.  

Botero, 2018 with experts appreciating the Colombian artist’s works. Director Don Millar and co-writer Hart Snider allow a negative comment about a “Pillsbury Doughboy” school of art but generally take a favorable look at Botero’s life and work, aided by help from his family. The piece serves as an informative overview to prepare for visiting the Museo Botero in Bogotá.

La Estrategia del Caracol (The Strategy of the Snail), 1993 with residents taking a sneaky approach to fighting social inequity in Bogotá. Adapting a story by Ramo'n Jimeno, director Sergio Cabrera taps into magical realism with a satirical tale about a group of tenants finding a slow but clever way to effectively upend their greedy property owner’s plan to destroy their home.    

Emphasizing the value of dignity and working together despite personal differences, the film became a legend in Colombia, significant enough for screenings to high school classes despite its final visual that reads Ahí tienen su hijueputa casa pintada. 

The movie gains its sense of reality through filming on location in Bogotá’s La Candelaria district. Catching on with the public, the movie inspired a restaurant at Calle 8, 8-32 near the filming location.  

Lost Cities Revealed--The Legends of El Dorado: City of Gold, 2023 with Albert Lin seeking truth in northern Colombia. As part of a National Geographic series, Lin explores legendary cities including El Dorado, reputed to lie in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada. Lin finds treasure in learning about the region’s pre-Columbian cultures plus examines precious metal glitter at Bogotá’s Museo de Oro.

María, llena eres de gracia (María, Full of Grace), 2004 with Catalina Sandino Moreno smuggling cocaine out of Bogotá. After meeting a real-life drug mule, writer-director Joshua Marston came up with the story of a pregnant 17-year-old who finds a dangerous way to raise money for her family. He hit gold by hiring Sandino Moreno in the title role—she earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her luminous and sensitive performance. Political unrest forced filmmakers to work in Amaguaña, Ecuador rather than rural Colombia, but second unit work includes Bogotá.

Narcos, 2015-17 with Pedro Pascal chasing Wagner Moura throughout Colombia. History influenced Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro in developing a series focusing on the rise of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar for two seasons along with the Cali cartel for a third. Putting his camera close in with skewed angles in early episodes, director Jose’ Padilha mixes documentary sensibility with action and dramatic sections.

Credits emphasize dramatic license (which includes name changes needed for legal and dramatic reasons), but real characters include Escobar along with drug enforcement agents Steve Murphy and Javier Peña. Moura’s performance captures a mix of charisma and ruthlessness that helped make Escobar a crime legend, while Pascal demonstrates magnetism that sent him into movie stardom.  As for other characters, some show up more accurately in movies like Loving Pablo or Blow; Narcos makes shifts and composites, but the basics feel believable and contribute to Colombia’s reputation as a drug haven.

Locations heighten the sense of reality, using recognizable sites in Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena, and Medellín. Pretty much any visitor to the La Candelaria district of Bogotá can wander by Plaza Simon Bolívar and spot the government center shown in the series as Escobar walks up stairs to take his place in Congress.