Los niños invisibles (2001)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Lisandro Duque Naranjo

Writers:

Lisandro Duque Naranjo (writer)
Gabriel García Márquez (writer)

Release Date:

26 October 2001 (Colombia)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Para verlo todo tenían que desaparecer...

Plot:

A young boy and his friends attempt to become invisible to escape the troubles of childhood. They must steal the magic recipe and its ingredients without getting caught to perform the ritual. |

Plot Keywords:

Television | Chicken | Black Magic | Virgin Mary | Cemetery

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Guillermo Castañeda	...	Rafael
Ingrid Cielo Ospina	...	Martha Cecilia
Gustavo Angarita	...	Fernando
Gustavo Camacho	...	Fernando
Juvenal Camacho	...	Gonzalo
Inés Prieto	...	Rafael's Mother
Hernando Montenegro	...	Rafael's Father
Carolina Vivas	...	Martha Cecilia's Mother
Marcela Valencia	...	Gonzalo's Mother
Álvaro García	...	Gonzalo's Father
Maria Angelica Rengifo	...	Gonzalo's Sister
Martha Osorio	...	Fernando's Mother
Alma Patricia Troncoso
Guillermo Díaz
César Badillo

Also Known As:

The Invisible Children (International: English title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Venezuela | Colombia

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Filming Locations:

Ambalema, Tolima, Colombia

Company:

Cinetel

An appealing film from South America

I saw this film on a DVD I bought from a local Blockbuster store. Having already read about it and been intrigued by the premise, I snapped it up from the bargain sale bin. The principal players are a group of kids who give natural, unstudied performances that ring true and don't have that "child actor" quality that can get on your nerves. A boy wants to become invisible in order to get close to his pretty, but stand-offish young neighbor ("airy," is how one of his friends describe her, according to the subtitles). With the help of some forbidden black magic performed by him and his three friends, he does indeed become invisible, or so it seems. How does this happen? The plot line cunningly brings it about, but you must see the film to appreciate how. This is a nice break from the over-produced and cynical films we see from Hollywood. The kids nicely conjure up the quality of innocence in which a midnight black magic ceremony in the local cemetery is a great adventure, and deadly serious business. Remember that electric thrill you got when you first got away with something forbidden, and absolutely nobody knew? If you never experienced it as a kid, what a pity! Discover (or rediscover) it with this excellent Venezuelan/Colombian production.