Looking For Palladin
Published January 5, 2007 by John
When we were in La Antigua, Guatemala last August, we saw what looked like film crews in the streets. Asking around a bit, we found out that they were shooting a film called Looking For Palladin. We never got a good description of what the movie was really about, but there is a story about it in Revue magazine, and it sounds like one worth watching.
“Looking for Palladin is about the wisdom of age and the refuge formed within a smaller community,” says independent film pro-ducer Mahyad Tousi….
The story focuses on talent agent Josh Ross, who is sent to Guatemala in search of a retired actor, Jack Palladin. Young, arrogant Josh rushes in, full of himself and fully expecting to get the job done pronto and return to his cushy comfort zone in Hollywood a.s.a.p. But it doesn’t go that way. He is frustrated by the pace of life here. Further, “His disregard for the older actor mirrors his disregard for the community whose help he desperately needs in order to find Palladin,” says Tousi.
It also sounds like one we could watch with the kids.
“Josh finds Palladin, but he finds much more,” says writer-director Andrzej Krakowski. “He discovers something about aging, the way that one generation treats another in Guatemala, different from what he has known. It changes his life.” Josh finds Palladin with a group of other ex-pats who meet every day in a café. “He sees that they really care about each other.” The white-haired and bearded director bobs his head and throws out his arms with turned-up palms.
“This is Guatemala from its best side. It’s a positive film. There’s not one bad character in this film. They’re all good people. There’s no violence, no sex, no politics, no insurgencies,” Krakowski says.
For a country whose image in the international press is almost solely about the sad, bad and terrible things that have gone on there, I don’t see any reason not to celebrate another aspect of life there. Our kids saw the good and hard of life there and came away loving the place.
The film is apparently in the production phase right now, and not yet released.
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This films sounds very interesting. I did some research and found out that it has some serious actor’s in it, such as the legendary Ben Gazzara, Oscar winner Talia Shire, as well as a host of Mexican and Guatemalan stars.
We must tip our hat to “American” indie producers for bringing these actors to a country like Guatemala and avoiding the Cliche subject matters. Although neither the producer’s name, nor the director’s suggests that they are American. But I guess that is the new wave in the land of the Gringos.
I agree, Antonio. In a country as richly diverse as Guatemala, the range of subjects for stories is far wider than civil war and poverty. And while it sounds like Mel Gibson’s “Apocalypto” is supposed to be a movie to boost Mayan pride, I’m wary of Mel Gibson’s take on things. I’ll go for the indie films like “Palladin” first.
I actually saw this movie last week. It premiered at the Cartagena film festival in Colombia. Having been to Antigua earlier in the year I enjoyed it immensely. The acting is top notch, the scenery is beautiful, the music is well done, the plot is a bit dopey and sentimental for my tastes but I didn’t let my cynicism ruin my enjoyment. Seeing it outdoors on a big screen under the stars drinking rum in a beautiful city with a beautiful Colombian girl helped too
Thanks for the update, Derrick. I was just checking IMDB.com a while ago to see if there was any news of it being out, and saw that it had a 2008 release date, so I hoped it would see the light of day.
Now to hope it makes it to Madison. We have a Sundance theater, so that may be the best bet.
Hi guys, It’s in Cannes right now I’m told, along with the producer, Mahyad Tousi. My company did the poster design and website (http://www.palladinmovie.com) for it, so it’s really cool to see it doing so well!