El Boliviano Review

El Boliviano is a 2021 short film directed by Diego Merritt-Trigueros and Juan Merritt-Trigueros.

A valiant effort to tell a neo-noir crime thriller in a modern context, El Boliviano is a solid showcase for young filmmakers, but unfortunately comes with a myriad of technical issues that hold it back from achieving greater heights.

It is always an amazing feat to see so many creative individuals come together on any project. Adding to that the fact that the scale of the extras working on this film was no small task to make happen. We truly have a nice ensemble cast of people working together with a common goal.

The problem, though, becomes in the film’s execution as a whole. From the start, the film was shot in too high of a frame rate, making it look like it was shot with an off-the-shelf camcorder rather than any kind of cinematic feel. That may not be a sticking point for others, but it is something that keeps things from ever rising above a certain point.

Continuing on with that thought, we have visuals that are muddy from a lack of proper lighting and composed in the easiest way possible with no genuine framing considered beyond getting the shots done and we have something that never quite comes together.

It is a shame too as the story itself is solid, if not something we have all seen before. There is nothing wrong with a bit of cliché, as long as it is delivered well.

Overall, though, this is difficult to recommend beyond a curious viewing. El Boliviano reaches no massive heights, but it doesn’t fail at anything it is trying, either, at least in the story department. It will be exciting to see where these filmmakers continue to grow to with future productions.

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Cheers!

Daniel Hess

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