Search - Oedipus Mayor on DVD

Ancient Greece Meets Modern Colombia

Jeffery Mingo | Homewood, IL USA | 03/28/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is another example of taking an older tale and giving it a modern backdrop. In Brazil, they made "Orpheus." George Clooney remade the Odyssey (or was it the Iliad?) in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Alicia Silverstone's "Clueless" is an update of a Jane Austen work. I recently read on an Internet encyclopedia that Ahnuld's "Predator" had elements of "Beowulf" in it. We Black folk poured some chocolate on "The Wizard of Oz" and made "The Wiz." So if you know the facts behind Oedipus Rex, then you will know the plot of this.

That last sentence was not meant to dissuade. You should see this film. In the way that "Tango," "Imagining Argentina," and possibly other works illustrate the devastating "disappearances" that happened in Argentina, this work illustrates the violence and paramilitary chaos that has happened in Colombia. By the way, Jorge Perugorria has gotten hotter since his younger days from "Fresa y chocolate."

For those who don't know the story of Oedipus Rex, you are in for a surprise like in "The Crying Game" or "The Others." If you find that you like the surprise at the end of the film, you may want to also see "Oldboy," "Lone Star," or "Angels and Insects.""