Medellín has come a long way since its darkest days as the murder capital of the world. Innovative urban planning, a booming, diverse economy, and growing tourism have all helped to reshape the image of Colombia’s second-largest city in the eyes of the world. But there is still a significant portion of the city that exists on the margins of this bright new present – a city-within-a-city that lives by its own laws, and where disenfranchised citizens must find their own means of survival.
The new film Los Nadie, from Colombian director Juan Sebastián Mesa, delves into this parallel Medellín through the lives of a clique of local street punks. Without falling into sensationalism, Los Nadie explores the day-to-day existence of La Rata, el Mechas, La Mona, el Pipa, and Manu, who spend their days illegally painting walls, performing circus routines for cash, and planning an imminent road trip through South America.
Inspired by Mesa’s own experiences road tripping from Medellín to Argentina as a college student, Los Nadie delves into the dynamics of this improvised family and explores how each member finds freedom from their difficult realities. Shot in stark black-and-white, Mesa based Los Nadie on a short film he wrote immediately after returning home from his inspiring trip. For the feature, however, the writer-director decided to go off script and work with improvisation to achieve a more organic rhythm to the performances.
Los Nadie’s 90-second trailer shows how this loose, improvised feel is held up by a raw, energetic visual style and an equally raucous hardcore punk soundtrack. The end result is a naturalistic study of Medellín’s invisible urban underbelly with hints of Jim Jarmusch, that serves as yet another worthy addition to Latin America’s growing punk rock filmography.
Los Nadie had its world premiere earlier this year at the Cartagena Film Festival and will be playing in September as part of the Critic’s Week at the Venice Film Festival.