‘Five Years, Four Months’ Review: Film Portrays a Colombian Mother’s Grief and Search
8 reported
A review of the film “Five Years, Four Months” describes its portrayal of Martha Baquero, a fictional character based on real stories of women who worked with the filmmakers. The film premiered in the Crystal Globe competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Directors Juan Miguel Gelacio and Esteban Hoyos García use understated filmmaking to create a feeling of alienation and tension. The film documents Martha’s search for the remains of her son, Fabian, including bus journeys, exhumation projects, and paperwork. The review notes the film’s sound design and the largely wordless performance from Jenny Nava as Martha. The film includes scenes of Martha’s dreams of naked, anonymous bodies in a dark forest, which the review describes as providing a sense of release. The review also mentions a dance therapy class for grieving mothers and a journey Martha takes with another mother named Sandra, played by Carmiña Martínez.
What’s reported
The film “Five Years, Four Months” is a portrait of Martha Baquero, a fictional character based on real stories of women who worked with the filmmakers.
Directors are Juan Miguel Gelacio and Esteban Hoyos García.
The film premiered in the Crystal Globe competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
The film documents Martha’s search for the remains of her son, Fabian.
Jenny Nava plays Martha in a largely wordless performance.
The film includes scenes of Martha’s dreams of naked, anonymous bodies in a dark forest.
Another mother named Sandra, played by Carmiña Martínez, tells Martha about a place where she could find Fabian by “speaking with a dead man.”
The review states that thousands of people in Colombia have been “forcibly disappeared” since conflicts began in the mid-1960s between the Colombian government and paramilitary and guerilla groups.
Key figures
Martha Baquero (fictional character)
Fabian (Martha’s son)
Jenny Nava (actress playing Martha)
Carmiña Martínez (actress playing Sandra)
Juan Miguel Gelacio (co-director)
Esteban Hoyos García (co-director)
Sources: Variety
