Maidgethma
Wonderfully offbeat film!
Laikals
The greatest movie ever made..!
mraculeated
The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
Objectivity
What a surprise, what a surprise !I thought this was going to be a financial thriller and ended up watching one of the best films in my lifetime.Anyone who has lived in a developing country will experience a rollercoaster of emotions on seeing this film as the story could apply to absolutely any developing country. And what a story. Ten minutes into the film and I started saying "What a fantastic film - who made this film ?", and I carried on saying that at regular intervals throughout the film. This film has so many layers that if you understand everything it is trying to portray you simply want to meet the Writer/Director. For the Writer/Director to hail from New York and yet understand all the subtelties, consequences, and tragedies of life for the common person in a developing country demonstrates a unique capacity for observation and, critically, empathy.This is a cinematically beautiful, sad, brutally accurate, tense, but also uplifting film, all at the same time. This film should have been taken to Cannes and it would have won the top prize - someone missed a marketing trick there.Still - easily one of the best films I have ever seen. Watch it - you won't regret it.
thesar-2
How far people will go measures both their love of their family and what they're truly capable of. So
be careful of loyalty. You may not know what you're up against.While searching for a "Modern Western," or a movie based in today's times with most of the Western genre's tropes, I stumbled upon The Debt, a 2015/6 gem I never heard of and may never have seen if not for the quick notice of the word "Peruvian" in the synopsis. You see, I just had a visitor, a friend, come from Peru and stayed here, near me in Arizona, for a month. I have not been to his country before, so I relished in the idea of watching a movie based in his country. And, boy, did it ever show more of Peru than I imagined it would.Actually, the movie is split into three overlapping stories with two completely set in Peru. A medical employee is desperate to take care of her elderly mother. A farmer's son is desperate to find his llama. And a corporate tycoon is desperate to land a deal
no matter if it costs an arm or a leg. Wow. This movie should've been called Desperation. It's a good, slow-moving, interesting and realistic film. Nothing groundbreaking, but has some good twists and a heartbreaking third act that will show people's consequences when they didn't even know any were coming.Highly recommend this hidden experience. Plus, it might teach you a thing or two about Peru.***Final thoughts: I've seen this kind of threesome story before and probably will again. I happen to love this kind of filmmaking and have yet to get tired of it. If you do, as well, dive right in. Learn some more about (all country's) societies and yourself.
Jennifer Crowe
So besides the fact that Stephen Dorff is one of my favorite actors (saw him in Blade too!), I watched The Debt because it looked different from any other movie out now, and it completely is. I love the idea of juxtaposing the logical American business-type with the family-oriented, hardworking Peruvian farmer. The diversity of this cast is enough to make it stand out alone. But the script is also something to consider. Surprisingly, the drama starts out innocently enough with Dorff's character, Oliver, traveling to Peru with his partner to try and buy back land and settle semi-ancient debt from 1968. But then the film twists completely, leaving you rooting for both Oliver and the landowning farmers, although they each want two different things. This is truly one of those movies that absorbs you into another place, another culture. You can relate to Oliver obviously but also find yourself empathizing with the plight of these local Peruvians as their society crumbles under financial pressure. Highly recommend seeing this one if you want to change your perspective about other countries.
subxerogravity
I like watching movies about other cultures other than my own.The structure of The Debt told a human very story as they say:A nurse desperate to find a way to get her sick mother the surgery she needs.A small boy learning the hard way how to take care of his father's land.A man born in Peru and educated in America trying to balance business with doing the right thing for his people.http://cinemagardens.com/index.php/2016/07/11/the-debtIt's down to Earth sub plots like this that make the movie pop out and come together so well.I really loved the back drop of Peru. it's a beautiful country, and the sound of the wind blowing into the boom mic actually made me feel like I was there.The Debt has a lot of layers to it because of all the sub stories and lead to one huge plot about an international fiancé deal going south and Stephen Dorff's character, Oliver's attempts to fix it, but it never gets too complex that you can't follow, even with the subtitles.Very low key movie does not hold back the emotional and political drama it is.