Silencio

In Silencio, the camera sticks very close to the two main characters, the divorced housewife Marielos, who has three children, and the poet Arnoldo Solano Corrales. Their facial expressions reflect their state of mind when they talk about their lives, their desires and their addiction to gambling. Both people are living in the Costa Rican capital San José, which accommodates almost twenty casinos. How much excitement and how much emptiness is caused by gambling? And who is the night bird that walks through the film on long legs? We do not get to know her. She represents the allure and agitation of gambling. In strong black-and-white images, a remarkable portrait is drawn of living (or surviving) in a sultry, overcrowded city, where love and security are not self-evident. The poems by 'Arsoco' also illustrate this: 'Turn on the light, for darkness reigns.'