DIAS DE SANTIAGO Latin Cinema Series

Writer/director Josue Mendez’ visually stimulating, hauntingly timely film punctures the surface of a soldier’s life after the war.

Santiago, an intense 23-year- old trained for nothing but fighting, finds himself back in normal life after service in the army. His wife is at the point of leaving him; his family keeps him at a distance. With a large chip on his shoulder, he is frustrated in his desire to get an education, while his old comrades try to persuade him to join them in their dream of robbing banks. In spite of his best intentions, it seems there is no escape from the cycle of violence once it has begun.

A modern, gritty, cautionary tale, Mendez has a unique, fresh voice creating a disturbing portrait of a man whose only real skills are killing. Pietro Sibille’s multi-faceted performance evokes human fragility and fallibility in the face of the toxic effects of war.