The Fortress review – football-obsessed road movie slogs its way across Colombia

Sscorching on just a few handheld cameras, this documentary follows three youthful males – El Loco, Lechero and Carlitos – from north-eastern Colombia as they traverse a thousand miles of powerful freeway, principally by stealthily leaping on to shifting lorries, and scrounging meals from strangers alongside the best way by which. It’s a dangerous journey, nevertheless the fellows don’t have rather a lot to lose given the hardscrabble poverty of their every day lives. The intention, other than the reality that it’s merely one factor to do, is to see their soccer crew Atlético Bucaramanga, AKA the Leopards, play for a chance of promotion to division A after eight prolonged years in division B.

Self-styled “hooligans,” it’s clear they see this pilgrimage as an act of honour to the membership they love along with one factor they do throughout the title of fallen buddies. Sooner than setting off for the necessary factor recreation they go to the tomb of 1 deceased comrade and blow spliff smoke in his route as an offering. As quickly as on the freeway, they meet completely different supporters – a fight virtually breaks out on the sliproad until they realise they’re fellow Leopards followers – and survive on the kindness of strangers. Director Andres Torres doesn’t current that rather a lot football-stadium violence, nonetheless it’s alluded to all by means of and the closing credit score pay tribute to some of the ineffective.

Whereas it’s exhausting to not admire the film-makers’ private dedication to monitoring their subjects, even when it means the digital digicam shakes like a tabby in a cat service as they leap aboard autos and the like, the hardcore vérité style here’s a bit chilly. We don’t really get to know these guys the least bit properly, and the film-makers really don’t question or take a look at their self-destructive life-style. Ultimately, it’s just a little little bit of a slog, and by no means that fascinating besides you’re really into Colombian highways or the machismo of soccer followers.