In a remote Colombian village without electricity, a strong-willed teenager convinces her whole town to find a way of watching her estranged uncle compete in a world championship boxing match.
Teeming with irrepressible energy, this World Premiere takes us back to 2001 Colombia and to La Suprema, a tiny and remote village in the Caribbean region that’s far from any beach and seemingly lost in time.
Laureana (Elizabeth Martínez) is a strong-willed teenager who’s not about to conform to what society or her abuela have in store for her. When she finds out via the newspaper that her estranged uncle is days away from fighting in a boxing world championship in Venezuela, she ignites a spark that will quickly get the whole town on board with watching the match live on national television. The problem? It may be the 21st century, but the village has no electricity and no one has a TV set.
Laureana enlists the help of Efraín (Antonio Jiménez), the local trainer who discovered her uncle years ago. After much hesitation, he agrees to follow her lead and set sail for the big city. All odds are against them, but they know this history-making moment might put their town on the map and it is worth giving it their all.
Director Felipe Holguín Caro's moving film captures the vibrancy of the town’s inner life; the musicality of daily talk and chores being done by the river, time spent playing dominoes, and just kids being kids. Much more than a setting or background, La Suprema and its inhabitants embody the endearing — and enduring — qualities of collective effort, joys, and pain.
DIANA CADAVID
Official Selection, 2023 Toronto International Film Festival