Miguel is a 17 year-old boy that sees the future as a distant horizon, immersed in his bubble of friends and a sketchbook full of sentimental poems. 'Saudade' is the portrait of a threshold: the end of high school, which we experience through Miguel. Set amidst the backdrop of the Ecuadorian economic crisis of 1999, 'Saudade' tackles notions of economic dislocation, friendship, family and young love while juxtaposing the crumbling of Miguel's life, against the crumbling of his country.
Reviews
Admirable film.
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.