Portraits in a Sea of Lies

Portraits in a Sea of Lies, released under the Spanish name Retratos en un Mar de Mentiras, is a 2010 Colombian drama film directed and written by Carlos Gaviria. The film won the Grand Paoa Prize as best international film at the 2010 Viña del Mar International Film Festival, and its star Paola Baldion won the award for best actress at the Guadalajara Film Festival.

Retratos en un Mar de Mentiras, aka Portraits in a Sea of Lies
Movie poster for "Retratos en un mar de mentiras"
Directed by	Carlos Gaviria
Written by	Carlos Gaviria
Starring	Paola Baldion, Julián Román
Cinematography	Edgar Gil
Edited by	Carlos Gaviria
Release date	2010 (2010)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	Colombia
Language	Spanish

Plot

After the death of his grandfather (Edgardo Román) in a mudslide, Jairo (Julián Román), a traveling photographer, and Marina (Paola Baldion), his silent and amnesiac cousin, decide to go to recover the land from which they were born, displaced years ago. They travel from Bogotá to the Caribbean coast in an old and dilapidated Renault 4. During the trip, Marina begins to relive her traumatic past. Upon reaching the town and announcing that they are coming for their land, the paramilitaries kidnap them.

When trying to flee, Jairo is wounded. Marina goes to the ruins of her family's house looking for the deeds that her grandfather buried, and there she relives the massacre of her family. She returns with the deed to her lands to where Jairo is dying. She takes him to die in the sea and throws his body into it.

Cast

• Paola Baldion, as Marina
• Julián Román, as Jairo
• Edgardo Román, as Nepomuceno
• Valeria Fuentes, as Marinita
• Ana María Arango, as Esperanza
• Julia Marín, as Gladys, model
• Carolina Lizarazo, as Marina mother
• Carlos Hernández, as Marina father
• Susana Rojas, as Marina's sister
• Harold Córdoba, as new shopkeeper
• Roberto Barajas, as Agent Gonzáles.
• Ricardo Niño, as Agent Cabezas.
• José Pablo Díaz, as Agent Zúñiga.
• Alberto Marulanda, as "Shuassennager".
• Vladimir Espitia, as Don Juan.
• Ramsés Ramos, as Never, paramilitary chief
• Jorge Camargo, as paramilitary chief

Reception

In 2016, film critic Jeronimo Rivera-Betancur of El Tiempo rated the film at No. 45 in his list of his favorite Colombian fiction films.