El Carro (The Car)

The Cinema Tropical series continues this month with El Carro, a light-hearted and sympathetic feature about middle-class life in Colombia. One of the biggest Colombian box office hits ever, El Carro follows the travails of a middle-class family from Bogota as they buy their first car in an attempt to move up the local social ladder. A hilarious farce ensues when the father gives away the winning lottery ticket intended to pay for the new vehicle. First-time director Luis Orjuela skillfully portrays such quintessential Colombian experiences as a daughter's quinceanera (15th birthday party), Christmas, and the lottery craze with a rare balance of sympathy and humor. (35mm, 93 mins.)