The Silence of Neto

Guatemala's first real film produced by the country's fledgling movie industry is an odd blend of the fantastic and the all-too-real that, although critically praised and the recipient of several festival prizes, never seems able to decide what it wants to be: a history lesson for the world at large or a period parable focusing on the destruction of innocence by an uncomprehending adult world. Set in 1954 Guatemala, the story revolves around 11-year-old Neto (Almengor), a young asthmatic who finds himself caught up in familial trials as well as the slow destruction of normal Guatemalan life by the encroaching CIA. In 1954, Guatemala's President Jacobo Arbenz, a left-leaning supporter of unionization and the redistribution of the United Fruit Company's holdings, was forced to resign under pressure from CIA scare tactics, including radio propaganda and the like. Neto is witness to all this and more, though the CIA's radio broadcasts only seem to catch his attention when they interrupt his favorite radio show, The Three Villalobos. To add to the mounting political tension, Neto is torn between loyalty to his strict Catholic father (Diaz) and his maverick, devil-may-care Uncle Ernesto (Meneses). It's Ernesto that imparts the most wisdom to the young boy, teaching him to stand up for what he believes in and to always speak out against what is wrong. Director Argueta brings in the fantasy element here, allowing the boy to call up his wise uncle at a moment's notice, seemingly from the spirit plane, though Ernesto -- at this point -- is very much alive. Like John Boorman's Hope and Glory and a host of other films, The Silence of Neto seeks to tell the story of earth-shaking events through the eyes of an innocent. Most of the time it succeeds. The cast is uniformly excellent, especially Meneses as the witty uncle, always there with secret smile and lesson to be learned. Likewise, Ramon Suarez's cinematography transforms Guatemala into a land of dreams, all hazy volcanic mountains and verdant hills. The fantastic element -- the spiritual comings and goings of Uncle Ernesto -- tend to get in the way of a story that would have worked fine without them, though. There's no need to reinforce the notion of innocence doomed in the midst of such political upheavals as are shown here. Despite these disruptions, The Silence of Neto is still a powerful film; it's just that it could have been so much more.