In Spanish With English Subtitles
The Silence of Neto is Guatemala's exciting first foray onto the international screen. Filmed entirely on location in that country, the film tells the very human story of a young boy's coming of age in Guatemala in the 1950's, a period marked by political upheaval, CIA meddling, and Cold War paranoia. Directed and co-written by native Guatemalan Luis Argueta, The Silence of Neto features the U.S. and international television star, Eva Tamargo Lemus along with a cast of some of Guatemala's most famous stage actors. A film of great dramatic power and stunning visual beauty, The Silence of Neto was shot in the handsome colonial city of Antigua and in the lush hills and staggering volcanic landscapes surrounding it. The film not only tells a compelling story, it gives audiences a fascinating inside look at a people about whose culture the rest of the world knows little beyond the occasional sensational headline.
The Silence of Neto heralds the proud arrival of the Guatemalan film industry.
Apart from the cliché' imagery of Banana Republic regimes and Marxist guerrilla fighting, little is known about Guatemala by the rest of the world. The Silence of Neto--the first feature film produced in Guatemala for worldwide distribution--is especially important because it contradicts the cliché's with a sophisticated portrait of a family with intricate lives and real problems. The film also exposes the manipulative and often destructive role that the U.S. historically has played in Latin American affairs. As we sift through the remnants of the Cold War, the film's revelations--which are surprising, even to many Guatemalans--shed new light on a murky period of our hemisphere's history.
In the course of showing the world a more accurate picture of Guatemala, The Silence of Neto also proves that this small Central American country--with its staggeringly beautiful locales--is capable of supporting a viable film industry. Along with such recent important feature films as Like Water for Chocolate and El Mariachi, The Silence of Neto is another world-class example of the new vitality of Latin American cinema.