LA FORTALEZA

Middle-aged Roque gets kicked out of his parents’ house into the burning streets of Caracas, where Venezuela’s economic crisis has flared up. Desperate to sober up, he returns to the abandoned lodge he built during happier, healthier days in the Amazon jungle. Dense vines, fever dreams and poisoned water close in on him, while good friends with bad habits whisper promises of gold. In his fragile state, Roque joins the indigenous locals in illegal gold mining, controlled by Colombian guerillas. Faced with the darkness of the merciless land, he reaches deep inside himself to find a way out.

“the roar of a tempest of love. It is a mutual gift and a Lazarean wager of immortality. The journey of a fleeting silhouette steeped in anger whose fury resonates in immense and indifferent landscapes.”
— Nicole Brenez

“a bold and distinctive directorial vision”
— Wendy Ide, Screen International

”a solemn tale of exile and redemption”
— Jordan Cronk, Film Comment