April 31st (2010) ⭐ 8.0 | Documentary, Biography, Drama

If I'd been a teenager in the 90's, would I have experimented making videos with my friends, creating the Potent Avenger? Would I have realized the line that divides documentary from fiction? Would I have lived my life filming everything? Would that have been happiness? That's evident in the Victor Cubillos' case, a young Chilean film director that died in Germany, whose life is forever preserved in VHS, in a wardrobe next to the great cinematic classics, and whose life is celebrated by his half brother, Cristian. Poor Victor Cubillos, dying so violently and so far from home….but, that's life…what can you do? In death, can you show the country in which you lived without a sense of pity? Can you be sarcastic about the city you grew up in without being offensive? Can you poke fun at family institutions without hurting those that loved you? Can you cheat death? Of course you can, through the editing process and behind a camera.

More than found footage, April 31st, reinforces the idea that history is a prism lit by personal experience. Docu-fiction, documentary, mockumentary, filmed diary, talking heads, anthropological film, ethnographic film, video ... Can a single movie be all that? Of course, if you have the rebellious talent of Victor Cubillos, unraveling the past, discovering what you are today, and laughing out loud at the future. Víctor Cubillos left everyone with something: joy. And he left this generous and absolutely fascinating film.