Roa Trailer (2014)

Trailer for Roa.

Roa delves into one of the great unsolved mysteries of Colombian history – the assassination of populist leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán in 1948. The film centers on Juan Roa Sierra, the presumptive murderer. Andrés Baiz ("Satanás", "The Hidden Face)" paints a fascinating portrait of a complex character: a loving family man with a confused sense of reality and a burning aspiration to achieve greatness, who believes he’s the reincarnation of a famous Colombian general. Feeling slighted after a meeting with Gaitán, Roa starts plotting his murder; by the time he changes his mind things have already gone too far…

This lovingly crafted period piece opened the most recent Cartagena Film Festival. It weaves a skillful tapestry of historical fact and creative speculation; the film’s re-creation of 1940s Bogotà is both stylish and precise. Mauricio Puente, a virtual unknown, turns in a spectacularly layered and authentic performance in the challenging lead role, conveying the complex psychology behind his character’s madness.