The Strategy of the Snail
| The Strategy of the Snail | |
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| Directed by | Sergio Cabrera |
| Produced by | Sergio Cabrera Salvo Basile Sandro Silvestri |
| Written by | Humberto Dorado Ramón Jimeno Sergio Cabrera Jorge Goldenberg |
| Starring | Humberto Dorado Florina Lemaitre Fausto Cabrera Frank Ramírez Víctor Mallarino |
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Release date
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Running time
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107 minutes |
| Country | Colombia |
| Language | Spanish |
The Strategy of the Snail (Spanish: La Estrategia del Caracol) is a 1993 Colombian comedy-drama film directed and produced by Colombian filmmaker and director Sergio Cabrera. The film stars Frank Ramírez, Florina Lemaitre, Humberto Dorado, Fausto Cabrera and Carlos Vives. The film is a winner of the Berlin International Film Festival and the Biarritz Film Cinema Festival of Latin America. The film deals with the hardships of lower income families in Bogotá, the breach between rich and poor, and their interactions in a highly stratified social system. The film was selected as the Colombian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 67th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
The film starts with news reporter Jose Antonio Pupo (played by Carlos Vives) interviewing a man after the movie events had taken place. This gentleman, who is also a tenant, reveals to the journalist how the physical house where the tenants lived for so many years was taken to a different place by rudimentary but ingenious means.The man's story in interwoven with the depiction of the events.
The building is an old one and it is home to different kinds of people. All of them are humble and from diverse backgrounds. They are told to leave the house because its owner, a obnoxious, rich man from Bogotá's exclusive area, has new plans for it. The tenants are confronted with the authorities who are trying to evict everyone from the building. Then, the tenants decide to take a stand by locking doors and shooting at the policemen who try to carry out their orders.
After this confrontation the tenants are given more time so everyone in the house has enough time to find a new place to live. The tenants are legally represented by "Perro" Romero (Frank Ramirez)(who is extremely annoyed by anyone using the nickname "Perro" meaning dog). Romero is a man with some academic background and has the means to deal with the authorities and Dr. Holguin's (the house owner) lawyers.
Dr. Holguin uses dirty tricks to create pressure on Romero to the extent that he is kidnapped and beaten by Dr. Holguin's men. Meanwhile, at the building, Jacinto (Fausto Cabrera), an intellectual and rebellious Spaniard, devices a way to remove everything inside the house (walls, windows, bathtubs, kitchens, toilets, roofs, etc.) and have all of it moved to a piece of land located on the hills of western Bogotá. Jacinto shows "Perro" Romero how it can be done by the use of a rope and pulley, which he does by demonstrating him how the pulleys and ropes are used in theatrical stages to lift very heavy weights. He does this on the stage of the Colon theater.
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