Gustavo Rondón Córdova’s feature debut, La Familia, which world premiered at the Critics Weeks series of the 2017 Cannes Film Fest, is a realistic melodrama, set against the current context of Venezuela’s harsh socio-economic conditions.
Set in Caracas, Cordova’s tale centers on a struggling single father, Andres (Giovanny Garcia), and his wayward 12 year son, Pedro (Reggie Reyes), as they run from various forces, both political and economic.
Despite the particular locale–condemnation of the government’s policies and treatment of the poor–and the idiosyncratic nature of communication between the two males (who don’t speak much), the film gets increasingly generic in following the conventions of road and chase movies.
