The International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago announces the first titles of its monthly series The Reel Film Club: the Colombian romantic comedy Crazy About You (Loco por vos) on Tuesday, January 31st and the Ecuadorian immigrant drama Emptiness (Vacío) on Tuesday, February 28th. All screenings will take place at the Instituto Cervantes, 31 West Ohio St. and begins at 6 pm with a reception followed by the screening at reception and 7pm. Admission is $20 for both the reception and film and tickets can be purchased at latinoculturalcenter.org. All films will screen in their original language with English subtitles.
Now in its 15th year, the Reel Film Club Series takes place every last Tuesday of the month through November (except in March and April when the Chicago Latino Film Festival is in full swing) and features a themed film preceded by a networking reception featuring appetizers from the selected country; the screening is followed by a conversation with the audience.
Following are the synopsis for the first two films in the series:
CRAZY ABOUT YOU (LOCO POR VOS)
Tuesday, January 31st
Colombia, 2020
Director: Felipe Martínez
Lucas and Simón, friends who work in a creative agency in Bogotá, throw a party as a favor for their boss, Johana. There, Lucas meets Lina, Johana’s paisa cousin (as the people who live in Colombia’s northwest region are known) who travels to Bogotá to get a visa and study fashion design in the United States. Madly in love, Lucas travels to Medellín to try to conquer Lina’s heart, where he will realize that before conquering her, he will have to win over her extensive family in this romantic comedy that pokes fun at the country’s regionalisms.
Emptiness (Vacío)
Tuesday, February 28th
Ecuador/Uruguay/Colombia, 2020
Directed by Paul Venegas
Chinese migrants Lei and Wong clandestinely arrive in Ecuador. Lei plans to travel all the way to New York; Wong wants to settle in Latin America and bring his son to live with him. Uncertain of their future, they rely on other Chinese migrants to navigate this new land and culture. Chang, a local mobster, is one of those migrants; his intentions towards Lei are less than noble, and as far as Wong is concerned, he is nothing more than a fly entangled in Chang’s corrupt web. Ecuador’s official entry to the Academy Award for Best International Feature in 2021, Venegas’ feature debut offers a unique take on the immigrant experience.
