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Postcards from Leningrad, 2013

22.07.2022

Postcards from Leningrad, 2013

Today's film will be dedicated to one of the most challenging periods in the history of Venezuela and will most likely catch your interest if you like magical realism - or if you had previously enjoyed "Pan's Labyrinth" and its kin.

The plot of the movie takes off in the 1960s. Moderate and right-wing circles in Venezuela gravitate towards the United States, while left-wingers favor the Cuban leader Fidel Castro and are outraged by Washington's interference in the country's internal affairs. On May 9, 1962, the government lashes against the latter by outlawing the Communist Party altogether. Its remaining members respond by declaring a guerrilla war.

The film's main protagonist is the little daughter of one of such underground militants, who, along with the mother, spends her life on the run. Dressing up, frantically switching between the hiding places, making up fake names – these and the other thing are not what you can easily explain to your child. As a result, the girl and her cousin are kept in the dark and eventually come up with their own interpretation of what is happening around and where their parents disappear so often.

They create a whole fantasy world where fiction is intertwined with reality, where the war against the current government turns into an exciting adventure (with their parents as the main characters), and the "Leningrad" from their postcards is a wonderful country where nothing is impossible.

How long will this game allow them to hide from real life?



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