A Poet

Simón Mesa Soto

2025, 2h3m, 12 Special, Spanish with English subtitles
Sat Apr 4, 2026
Sun Apr 5, 2026
Mon Apr 6, 2026
Fri Apr 10, 2026
Sat Apr 11, 2026
Sun Apr 12, 2026

Middle-aged and erratic, Oscar is a failed writer who has given up on life. Unemployed and living with family, he wanders the streets of Medellín in a drunken stupor, lamenting the state of literature in his home country, where he has succumbed to the cliché of the tortured artist. However, the opportunity to mentor a young student offers a chance at redemption, if he doesn’t screw it up first. In a performance marked by darkly comic pathos, first-time actor Ubeimar Rios stars in Simón Mesa Soto’s Un Certain Regard Jury Prize-winner A Poet, a raw and riotous farce about how good deeds are often met with the universe’s idea of cruel and unusually poetic punishment.

“Immensely appealing… morbidly funny and profoundly human.” – Ben Croll, IndieWire

“A hilarious fable about trying to lead a creative life… both funny and poignant.” – Murtada Elfadl, Variety

“Simultaneously satisfyingly tragic and hilarious… a compelling performance from non-professional Ubeimar Rios.” – Screen Daily