Review of Los hongos

This is the story of two 20-something young men in Cali Columbia today. They are aspiring graffiti artists. I'd already watched a documentary about graffiti artists around the world--including Latin America--at a film festival a couple years ago. This movie is as real as a documentary but it is a drama. Days in the life of a couple of nice guys in sometimes friendly and sometimes dangerous world. I saw this at a university film series and there was a Columbian professor there giving an introduction and Q&A about this film. He was very excited about this film. And he also pointed out it's allusions to Columbian film history--which I know nothing about but found very interesting. Guess I can't come up with the right words to tell you what a great and fun and natural and affirming movie this is. It's about youth culture, but with characters who care deeply about their mothers and grandmothers. It's about street culture but not about drug dealers or gun battles. It even has a couple sex scenes it it, but these are more true to being young than to being hyped up wish-fulfillment. And--it is not a nostalgic or idealistic or condescending movie. It ends on a note of hope, humor and affirmation. I saw it with subtitles translating the Spanish dialog. RENT IT!