For Delio and Jacobo, and many others in Buenaventura, life is hard and there is not much work that is available to them. Poverty and corruption dictate their lives, and the drug trade proves to be a profitable, albeit dangerous, route to earn money and support loved ones or themselves. As Jacobo described, his son was shot in the street and his house was seized by the corrupt military to grow and produce cocaine. Their are many aspects of their lives which are out of their control in Buenaventura.
The climax of the film places Delio and Jacobos lives' at stake, forcing Delio to decide whether to preserve his own life or take another's. This is extremely difficult, and this murder of a young man would be considered wholly wrong by many, however, we find ourselves rooting for Delio to shoot accurately and kill to survive. We are attached to him as we have seen the impossibly difficult world he comes from. Without watching the film or having education, it would be easy to say anyone in the drug trade is immoral and wrong, but it is obvious many do not have the choice to not participate.
This film ties common themes such as family relationships, morality and ethics, survival, struggle, and hopelessness into one gritty package. The most prevalent theme that I find in this film is the idea that we are all human, and we have an innate instinct to survive and thrive. It is necessary to remember that before we are criminals or good/bad people, everyone is human and is worth something.
D. Throughout the film, many of the characters are helpless in their situations. For Delio and Jacobo, they are powerless in Buenaventura and need to enter the drug trade to survive. Throughout the film, the people picking up the drugs exert power over Delio and Jacobo, dictating whether they live or die, and where they will go. Guns are also a symbol of power, and those who wield them have power over others. Delio has power over the young man when he shoots him. The paramilitaries have control when they investigate the boat. Overall, most people have little power in their lives in this film.
