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2020
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Behind the Blood

Behind the Blood

86' 2019
dir.: Loretta van der Horst

The vicious circle of gang violence in war-torn Honduras and three heroes: a priest, reporter and murderer

Gangs, cocaine, and pervasive violence, for which criminals and the police are responsible in equal measure—life in Honduras is not easy. The protagonists in Loretta van der Horst’s film live in one of the most dangerous cities in the world—San Pedro Sula. Pastor Daniel Pacheco is aware of the sins of both police officers and gangsters. By maintaining contact with both, he tries to somehow protect his faithful. Orlin Castro is a reporter. He has seen so many corpses in his lifetime that even the most monstrous crimes seem to make no impression on him. The third protagonist is a gangster, one of hundreds of local sicarios—contract killers. Matathan, who speaks openly about his profession, would finally like to get out and start living a normal life. All three would like to believe that the situation will somehow change for the better, but van der Horst’s Honduras isn’t a place where faith works miracles. 

Konrad Wirkowski

Festivals
IDFA 2019
One World Prague 2020
Human IDFF 2020 – Winner Human Rights Human Wrongs Film Award
Nederlands Film Festival 2020
86' 2019 Netherlands, United Kingdom
Director
Loretta van der Horst
Cinematography
Fernando Barrientos
Editing
Herman P Koerts, Patrick Janssens
Production
Conjin Films, Fine Point Films