Tiempo de Morir

Stars: Gustavo Angarita, Sebastian Ospina, Jorge Emilio Salazar. Although it was barely advertised, Tiempo de Morir is the maiden release from Full Moon Entertainment's Spanish division. A film festival favorite, this first-time effort from director Jorge Ali Triana was written by Latin American Nobel Prize winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and stars Gustavo Angarita as Juan Sayago who, as the film opens, is returning home after having spent 18 years in jail for killing a man. The townspeople advise Juan to leave town, since the dead man's sons still want revenge. The older son Julian, though afraid to kill Juan, feels honor bound to do so, while the younger son, Pedro, is not entirely convinced that their father didn't die in a fair fight. Although he cannot kill him outright (that would be barbaric), Julian hounds Juan--killing his dog, trashing his house, throwing an animal bladder filled with blood in his face--hoping to provoke the older man into going for his gun. It's a potent mix, and credit is due to Marquez for weaving a multi-layered story that plays as a fine oater on the surface, and a probing psychological study underneath. There are a couple of problems, however. First, the film is fairly dark, and in many interior shots, the characters' faces are seriously shadowed. Second, a couple of goofs in the translation suggest that Juan might be Pedro's father (unlikely), and that Juan's old love might be Pedro's sister (very unlikely). Aside from these quibbles, Tiempo de Morir (A Time to Die) is an engaging film with a strong story. Audience: The Marquez screenplay will attract contemporary literature lovers, as well as foreign film fans.