A POET (UN POETA)
Simón Mesa Soto | Colombia | 2025 | 120m
Once a promising man of letters in his native Medellín, Restrepo is painfully coming to terms with the fact that his writing — maybe even his personality — isn’t taking him anywhere as he gets older… and he's not aging gracefully.
In comes young Yurlady (Rebeca Andrade), a shy but clearly gifted student from humble roots. Oscar finds respite in helping Yurlady cultivate her poetic streak. But his erratic ways and insistence on dragging her into the moody world of poets pitches everyone around him into turmoil.
Director Simón Mesa Soto’s sophomore film is beautifully shot on Super 16mm, winning the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. A POET is equally hilarious, absurd, uncomfortable and sad - drawing you into the world of Oscar Restrepo, who is just trying to live a creative life.
Simón Mesa Soto was born in Medellín, Colombia. He studied audiovisual communication at Universidad de Antioquia, where he later worked as lecturer in film editing. He wrote and directed the short films Los tiempos muertos (09), Leidi (14), and Mother (16) and the feature Amparo (21). A Poet (25) is his latest film.