There is a group of people that exist in limbo. The immigrants, migrants, any one who has to say a Latinx, Asian, or African before they can say ‘American.’ Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to step fully into the world you hear family members sighing over? Have you ever wondered what it would be like coming of age or even being a young adult in South America? It is something I often think about. Having migrated here when I was eleven, I find I am attached to films that tell the story of what my upbringing would have been had my parents not brought me to the United States.
Last month I was introduced to a very special film: Days of the Whale, directed by Catalina Arroyave Restrepo. In this 2019 Colombian film (which scored a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes), Cris and Simon are two young graffiti artists who combat the battle for power among their city with art. The two defy a criminal gang when they decide to paint the mural of a whale over a threat written on a wall. The film, driven by the pair’s love for one another, their band of struggling artists, and their craft, weaves an important portrait of Columbia and the enduring qualities of those who inhabit it.