MOVIE • 2009

The house

On the outskirts of Bogotá, a family survives by recycling the city's waste and raising animals. They dream of a home with running water and electricity, but family disputes threaten their only chance at progress.

The Mendez family has been living on occupied land in the hills outside Bogotá for 40 years, where they can be legally evicted at any time. Every day they walk down to the city to collect scrap materials to sell, and leftovers from restaurants to feed their pigs. Victor has been married to Marta for 10 years, but his mother, Elvira, has never approved of her. The conflict between these two women forces Victor to take sides, coming in the way of their efforts to earn a living. The threats that a neighbor makes to Victor give Elvira another reason to blame Marta for all of the family’s problems, but Sandra, their youngest daughter, will provide another chance to unite the family. Dignity and courage combine in a story about the impossibility of progress and the persistence of dreams for this family of scrap merchants.