Operation E (Operacion E)
Starring: Luis Tosar, Martina Garcia
Directed By: Martina Garcia
Reviewed by Danielle Muir

[rating: 4/5]

What I anticipated was a gritty snapshot of the revolution – armed forces, hostages, battles and the like.  What was delivered was far more insular.  Operation E is the story of a family in extreme poverty, living in Columbia and pledging their allegiance to whoever necessary to save their skin.  The revolution pays their hut a visit and bestows on them a badly injured baby, ordering them to keep the child safe.  But the child’s injuries are too great – the family sneaks ‘Pegui’ into hospital and from there the already difficult situation spirals out of control.

One element that hadn’t changed from my initial perception is the grittiness – Operation E shows Columbia at its dirtiest.  The protagonist family live in squalor (a makeshift hut in the jungle) and scrape a living together earnings through the drug trade. They have a herd of children, with another on the way, who are constantly at risk of being kidnapped into the armed forces.  They live in constant fear of attack.  I imagine this was the case for many families.

Frustratingly, this is one of those films where everything that could possibly go wrong, does.  Despite their adamant protests, Pegui (the child bestowed) is adopted into their already dirt-poor family.  Jose` traipses all over Columbia to heal him.  Not to give too much away, assumptions are made, injustices are served and even though the character of Jose` comes off as quite slimy, you feel a great sympathy for their plight.  At every turn they are hard done by, and the consequences one wrong word is a bullet to the head.

Columbia has been captured in its destitute glory, and it truly is one of those films that reminds you of your privileged conditions.  This is not a feel good film, but one thing that is uplifting is the twist at the conclusion.  It adds a great weight to the consequences of every action that has led up to that moment, and increases the scope exponentially.

Operation E is a gritty portrayal of one family’s struggle in the midst of the revolution where everything that can go wrong, does.  So don’t go in expecting a laugh, but do expect to feel very lucky that it isn’t us.

Operation E is playing as part of the 2013 Spanish Film Festival.  The festival runs from 13-23rd June in Brisbane, at Palace Cinemas.