Piola

Quilicura, founded at the beginning of the 20th century was originally a town on the outskirts of Santiago de Chile but due to urban sprawl is now part of Santiago. Its residents are mostly middle class families. Although open spaces remain, they have not been greened into parks as in wealthier neighborhoods and there are open junkyards nearby.

The main characters are adolescents Martín, Charly and Sol. Martín is in the last year of high school. He doesn't seem to be interested in anything the school can offer; his only love is rap and the hip hop culture. He owns expensive gear and cuts tracks in his apartment. His family faces dire cash flow problems, which Martin seems to ignore. At the invitation of a professor he offers a rap demonstration to his class, but gets into trouble due to the obscenity of some of the material. Charly shares Martin's indifference to learning and passion for hip hop. He has a job he hates and has fathered a child whom he seldom sees and does not support. Finally, Sol comes from a family of higher economic level. She is more integrated in the school (plays in a soccer team) but hangs around with Martin and Charly. Sol's mother is beginning to worry about Sol's growing involvement with a tattoo artist several years her senior and probably having other girlfriends.

Out of this material, director and script writer Luis Pérez García weaves a tale that catches our interest and never lets go. The script avoids sentimentality and does not romanticize or judge; the approach is low key, realistic, compassionate and often humorous. The characters' aimlessness and lack of realism (Martin plans to make a living from rap) perhaps reflects the lack of opportunities to integrate in society that teenagers face everywhere.

The Spanish spoken in this movie is witty and full of colorful colloquial terms. Acting is first rate both from professionals and first timers and cinematography supports and provides atmosphere to the action. A quality film.