“In UN POETA, an aging, obscure writer mentors a talented teen, hoping to give her what he never had. But their bond – rooted in good intentions – spirals into a web of poor decisions and the weight of unmet ambitions.
Balancing wry, uncomfortable comedy with a perceptive take on Colombia's current social milieu to tell a tale of hope lost and found, Simón Mesa Soto’s second feature follows hapless Oscar Restrepo.
Ubeimar Ríos is unforgettable as the volatile Oscar, who is self-aware, sort of, about his standing as a cliché of the misunderstood genius. Oscar is both a fool and a sage, depending on where we meet him. And while he genuinely cares, he seems incapable of being anything other than his own worst enemy. As he burns every bridge in his life, one can only hope Oscar finds redemption, or at least makes it to the other side in one piece." Diana Cadavid, Toronto International Film Festival 2025

Der alternde Dichter Óscar Restrepo hat seine guten Zeiten lang hinter sich. Aus seiner glanzvollen Karriere wurde nichts, nun, in seinen 50ern, lebt er wieder bei seiner Mutter und muss in einer Schule unterrichten. In der Jugendlichen Yurlady aber entdeckt er großes Talent - was ihm neuen Lebensmut verleiht. Er wird ihr Mentor und will sie als Dichterin berühmt machen. Aber ist es richtig, sie in eine Welt einzuführen, die ihn so enttäuscht zurückließ?

"Regisseur Simón Mesa Soto inszeniert die schwarze Komödie mit dem Philosophielehrer Ubeimar Ríos, gedreht wurde in wenigen Takes auf 16mm. Das grobe Filmkorn und das subversive Spiel des Laien sind die Zutaten dieser trockenen Realsatire." Dunja Bialas, Viennale 2025

"Shifts from absurdist to serious to satirical and back again. This odd mix should not work, but Soto pulls it off with a sure hand and precisely exacting storytelling … a truly unique cinematic experience." Variety

"Split into four chapters and filmed on grainy, 16mm stock that leaves a mask of schmutz around the corners of the frame, UN POETA loops around questions of art and commerce in an endearingly loopy tone. The film#s bawdy sense of humor plays off a non-professional star — himself a full-time teacher from a nearby school — that looks like he was drawn by Robert Crumb and acts the part just as well." IndieWire

"Oscár's almost Sisyphean commitment to failure allows UN POETA to move past being another needless allegory for making art. This finely shaded character study of a recalcitrant social pariah feels more than anything else like an existential parable." William Repass, Slant (2025)