DVD Review: Bad Lucky Goat

STUDIO: Film Movement | DIRECTOR: Samir Oliveros | CAST: Kiara Howard, Jean Bush, Honlenny Huffington
RELEASE DATE: Dec. 12, 2017 | PRICE: DVD $13.98
BONUS: short film Miss World directed by Georgia Fu
SPECS: NR | 76 min. | Foreign language comedy drama | 2.40:1 widescreen | 5.1 Surround Sound/2.0 Stereo | Creole with English subtitles

RATINGS (out of 5 dishes): Movie   | Audio  | Video   | Overall

Just in time for the holidays, Film Movement presents Bad Lucky Goat, an engaging coming-of-age comedy/drama from Colombian first time director Samir Oliveros.

Gangly Cornelius “Corn” Denton (Honlenny Huffington) and his acerbic older sister Rita (Kiara Howard) are typically squabbling teens living on the island of Port Paradise, a vacation spot spectacularly portrayed by the lush Caribbean coast of Colombia. While running an errand in their father’s truck, they accidentally kill a black-bearded goat owned by a local gambler. This sparks superstitious fears (“…the Ghoul is gonna get you…”) and leaves them scheming and scamming to raise money to repair the truck. In their quest, they encounter a variety of colorful local characters. There’s “Champ” a rascally musician first seen submerged to his chest in a lake playing a conch shell. A philosophical pawn broker teaches them that time really is money. A butcher seems too fond of his own product. Finally, they descend, Ulysses-like, into the island’s nighttown.

Oliveros elicits charming, unaffected performances from his cast, especially the two leads. What gives the film real heart is the relationship between the siblings. As Rita turns her sharp tongue from abusing her sensitive brother to to encouraging and protecting him, we experience them forming a bond which should serve them well as they venture into adulthood.

David Curto’s photography keeps things flowing with what seems to be a single camera and, again, provides a gorgeous travelogue. Like the tropical melodies that comprise the score, Bad Lucky Goat is light and breezy and then you can’t get it out of your head.