Home / Arts and Entertainment / Stillz's "Barrio Triste": Medellín's Teens, Mystery Lights
Stillz's "Barrio Triste": Medellín's Teens, Mystery Lights
15 Jun
Summary
- Stillz directs "Barrio Triste," his feature debut, moving beyond music videos.
- Film follows teens in 1980s Medellín documenting lives amid strange lights.
- "Barrio Triste" premiered at Venice and Toronto film festivals in 2025.
EDGLRD, the film company founded by Harmony Korine, is releasing its third feature, "Barrio Triste," directed by Colombian-American artist Stillz. This marks the first EDGLRD film not directed by Korine, with Stillz, celebrated for his work with artists like Bad Bunny and Rosalía, making his feature directorial debut. Film Movement will distribute the movie, which includes a musical score by Venezuelan artist Arca.
"Barrio Triste" unfolds in Medellín, Colombia, during the 1980s, focusing on a group of teenagers. The narrative blends coming-of-age elements with a found footage style, as the teens steal a camera to capture their daily lives in an impoverished neighborhood. Their reality begins to warp as mysterious lights appear in the sky, coinciding with temporal and spatial distortions.
The film premiered at the 2025 Venice Film Festival and later screened at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where it garnered mixed reviews. "Barrio Triste" is set to arrive in theaters on Friday, July 10. Critics have noted its experimental nature, comparing it to a video art installation.
The movie explores themes of dreams, death, and the erosion of understanding reality. Set against a backdrop of crime and potential extraterrestrial phenomena, the teenagers' quest for hope is challenged by the unusual events surrounding them.
