This movie takes your heart and soul. This movie freezes your heart and wants you to cry, smile and cry again all at the same time, and above all almost screams at you about the horror of life in Medellin at the time which it presents. This film moved me to the core. Love story which might offend some people is gorgeous and true. An older gay guy falls in love with 18 years old street gay boy who desperately seeks love and security which he did not have all his young life. He can't step away from the habit which became his second nature, killing the guys like himself, young and lonely. In the movie killing becomes almost as understandable as breathing or eating and becomes part of love of the older guy to the beautiful Alexis. To my astonishment, all the killings all of the sudden became acceptable to spectators. I love this movie. I love the story. I love the plot of true feelings of the older guy toward his young lover and vice versa. Human spirit which emanates from this film is mesmerizing and almost blinding and the love is heartbreaking and beautiful.

After reading these comments I am completely shocked that those of you who insulted it even saw such an exquisitely accurate and cultured film. As for those who dismissed it as a tale about love, loss and revenge, these themes are minute compared to the overwhelming issue that is raised in the film. When Alexis kills his first victim we are shocked, as is Fernando. 'Que hiciste?' he asks him, when he returns from shooting the punk rocker next door. But as the film progresses and we witness countless murders the viewer becomes anaesthetised (sorry if i spelt that wrong im only 18 and not great with words!) to the horror of these increasingly violent and pointless murders. It is only when Fernando is about to shoot the injured dog that we are disturbed by the violence. What does this tell you? The director has led the viewers to a state of moral panic! Suddenly the sights of human death do not trouble us but we are moved at the euthanasia of a dog! As for the poor acting.. there is only one professional actor in this entire movie, the director made the correct decision by choosing real street gang members, real people who live in the streets of Medellin. How on earth can you use a professional actor with probably no experience of any real danger into Medellin and ask him to understand the idea of 'life as a commodity'. If you have seen The Rose Seller 'The Vendedora de Las Rosas' you will see just how crucial it is to use these real people. The protagonist in The Rose Seller (Leidy Tabares) has a real life story much more violent and gruesome than her tragic story in the film as a 13yr old glue-sniffing rose seller.This film is awesome, (if a little long) it shows how the institution of the Church has completely failed, as it is now used for drug exchange and other illegal activities. The homosexuality plays no significant part in the film as the couple are never marginalised by their orientation, on the other hand it is as if homosexuality is an expression of their masculinity.Anyway... im feeling rather angry that no one really understood this movie apart from the few people who have made some really interesting comments. Sorry for venting my anger! But hope you can look at the film from a totally different perspective.

I'll put in my 2 cents on this flick for what its worth, not that it matters much but it is interesting to see the wide extremes of opinions here. I'm quite oblivious to the situation in Colombia today. I've heard about the casual violence and the kidnappings through news media. As an outsider, I found the film to be some sort of a modern masterpiece. The use of digital video was odd but I felt somewhat closer to the locale. The screenplay was incisive, witty and at the same time displayed the depths of the human condition. Some have noted that the acting of the young boys to be bad and unrealistic. True, they are not thespians by trade but I thought they displayed their reactions and emotions toward the writer very well. If I was in their shoes I would have been taken in by this writer as well. Why not? He is providing me with what I need and at the same time showing me the compassion and wisdom that is lacking around me. I believe wholeheartedly that this is Mr. Schroeder's most personal work. Why else would one risk his life filming it in Colombia? I've seen some of his other works and none come close to this. The irony of this film is that the cinematography shows Colombia to be beautiful beyond words. It makes me want to visit. Maybe I'll be like the writer in the film and go there to die after I have done everything I wanted to in my life. This is an excellent companion piece to 'Maria Full of Grace.' Both films are two of the best to come out of this decade.

The first time I saw this movie I was so excited to see a film not only touch on the subject of violence that is all to prominent in Colombia, but also see parts of Medellin, the beloved city of my family, on screen. However, when I watched for a second time and perhaps with a little more objectivity. I felt the movie lacked in a few areas. For one, the movie does seem to drag in prolonged scenes of silence that doesn't seem to serve even a dramatic effect. This makes the movie feel slow and boring. Also, the central relationships between Fernando and his two young lovers seem a little unplausible. Fernando is an aging writer with the rhetoric of a intellectual and a cynical academic. The young lovers, Alexis and Wilmar, are to young, too hip, and to modern for it to be believable that they would have such an intimate and profound relationship with Fernando. The ending also leaves with a void and a sense that there is something else that was left out. The acting is good, very natural in the dialogue but some of the non-verbal actions of the characters ( such as love-making or the killing) can seem a little rehearsed. The cinematography is beautiful and it uses the city of Medellin to the fullest as another character in the backdrop of the movie. It also gives a glimpse into the everyday life of the Colombian city culture with the infusion of music and outdoor shots of the people and places in the city. I like the fact that it doesn't hold back in portraying the violence it addresses as raw and common, but sometimes it seems a little unreal or dramatized.