The Kings of the World is like a Cormac McCarthy novel, a man in a bad situation travels to a place where he thinks things will be better, but over the course of the journey, things get much worse.
Ra is a young man who lives on the city streets with his friends, Nano, Sere and Winny, occasionally clashing with their fractious frenemy Culebro. Ra receives a letter from the government saying his grandmother’s petition to get her land back has been granted. As she left it to him in her will upon her passing, Ra sets off to reclaim his birthright.
This is a road trip movie, about youth and friendship in world of racism, violence, where the poor and powerless are routinely trampled on. Tenderness, care, generosity and humanity often come from those deemed least likely, those on the absolute margins of society. They are washed, fed and shown kindness and respect by prostitutes, and given a roof over their head for the night in the home of someone who has been cast aside as a madman, people with almost nothing share what they have with them.
The cinematography is just amazing. Colombia is such a gorgeous country, in The Kings of the World, the landscapes are just stunning. I wanted to dip my hands into the screen to cup these beautiful shots like water.
Not an easy watch, The Kings of the World contrasts the beauty of the world with the ugliness perpetuated in it.