206. Virus Tropical; movie review

VIRUS TROPICAL
Cert TBA
97 mins
BBFC advice: TBA

Is it really 13 years since I was wowed by the superb combination of animation and social commentary in Persepolis?
It was the pre-cursor to a small stream of films which tried a similar approach but few as poignantly as this adaptation of the autobiography of graphic artist Paolo Gaviria.
She was born into an Ecuadorian family with two older sisters and a mother and father who were growing apart almost as soon as she arrived.
Santiago Caicedo's debut movie takes the audience through Paola's childhood, through her teens up until she leaves home.
It begins with a rather arresting scene of her parents making love and her father's sperm swimming towards her mother's eggs.
María Cecilia Sánchez narrates the life story which begins with two much older sisters and her mum ( voiced by Alejandra Borrero) and dad at home.
It doesn't take too long for the family unit to be fractured by the departure of the father (Diego León Hoyos).
These splits become even wider as Paola grows up and her sisters go through the turmoil of teenage years and moves to Columbia.
Virus Topical looks great - I am a fan of this type of graphic art and think it works really well as moving image as well as still.
It complements Paola's story which is compelling and true to life. This is the reality of family. Highs and lows, clashes between parents and offspring and between siblings.
On a couple of occasions, I initially thought Caicedo was on the cusp of pushing too hard and then I remembered real fall-outs that have happened in either mine or Mrs W's family and realised that it was even more on the mark than I had originally thought.
It doesn't try to soft-soap and 'keeps it real' at its conclusion. It is a movie of which I had little expectation but I am glad to report that it left a very positive impression.

Reasons to watch: Alluring and unusual animation
Reasons to avoid: If you are a man who doesn't want to watch a 'women's movie'

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: Animation nudity
Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? According to 2019 statistics, 800,000 Ecuadorians live in Colombia, the fourth highest immigrant population after Venezuelans, Americans and Spaniards.

The final word. Power Paola: "You can be whoever you want! You have to be like truthful with your personality and nature.”

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