The Colors of the Mountains (2010)

Set in Columbia, this is the story of nine year old Manuel, the son of Ernesto and Miriam who plays with his old soccer ball every day. with his friends Julian and Poca Luz. Manuel wants to be a goalie. When a bew teacher, Carmen, comes to town, Manuel follows her. We see the graffiti "Arm the People! Victory or Death!" on the side of the school building.

Manual's father is not happy the new teacher has come. He needs Manuel to help on the farm. Men with gones come, and Manuel's mother brings them something to drink, while he and his father,Ernesto, stay hidden. The men are looking for Ernesto, who hasn't been coming to their meetings. They say he better show up for their next meeting.

School starts and all the grades go in to the one classroom with Carmen. Julian's bother has left home. He thinks he has gone to the mountains, to join the guerrillas. When they get to the soccer field the guerrillas are there : no game today.

Manuel turns nine, and gets goalie gloves and a new soccer ball. People start fleeing the area. Some people who cooperated with the guerrillas have been killed. When a pig gets a way from Manuel's father it runs in to a mine field and is blown up. Unfortunately, Manuel's new ball had just rolled in to the same field. That means no more playing on the soccer field, and no ball.

The boys try different schemes to get the ball, but have no luck. Somehow the albino Poca Luz is the one being used to try to reach the ball. In one attempt which has him swinging from a rope, Poca Luz falls and lands in the field but Manuel and Julian are able to pull him back up, but Poca did lose his glasses.

The new slogan painted on the school says "Guerrilla! Put On a Uniform Or Die a Civilian!" The teacher has the students paint a beautiful landscape over it. Then Julian's father is taken by the government forces because his son is a guerrilla and he comes back dead, tied to a horse. You can't stay neutral and you can't join a side. There is no winning in this situation. The teacher is forced to leave the school.

Then the government forces come for Manuel's father, even though his father was never really involved with the guerrillas. When Manuel comes home his father is gone. Manuel's mother tells him to pack, they are leaving. Manuel then goes back for the ball. He makes his way to it, and gets Poca's glasses too. Manuel's Mom then closes the gate to their house.

To his parents earning a living and living with the pressure from the guerrillas and the government forces were the important things. To Manuel there was only soccer. A really good movie portraying a world that is hard to comprehend, and makes one feel lucky for the world you have.