Viaje

Costa Rican director Paz Fabrega creatively brings to life the simple yet compelling love story of two strangers’ journey in the engaging Viaje.

Viaje (meaning journey) follows the story of Luciana and Pedro, two drunken souls who come across each other at a costume party and begin with an unexpected and awkward kiss. Though Luciana is at first miffed, she later changes her mind and decides to spend the night at Pedro’s house. Bonding on the cab ride home, the couple realise their views on life are very similar.

The following morning, Pedro reveals he has to head to a Costa Rican forest for the next three weeks in order to gather research for his thesis. With Luciana spontaneously deciding to join him, a weekend encounter turns into a life-changing experience.

Fabrega is also responsible for the screenplay and does a fantastic job in the department of character development. In the crisp runtime of an hour and nine minutes, the audience witnesses well-rounded depictions of both leads with a final glimpse that throws doubt on their compatibility. The narrative moves steadily, like an upward graph, engaging the viewer from the start with familiar, relatable characters. Smooth editing condenses the time lapse brilliantly.

Complementing the beautiful cinematography is the fantastic use of diegetic sound, reflecting the rawness of nature and ensuring the sense of realism isn’t lost.

With references to capitalism, feminism and contemporary values of family and relationships, the script pushes all the right buttons to make this an endearing and engaging short film. Viaje is definitely worth the watch.

Ria Dhillon

Viaje does not have a UK release date yet. It is part of Films in Love category at the 59^th London Film Festival.

For further information about the 59^th London Film Festival visit here, and for more of our coverage visit here

Watch the trailer for Viaje here: