NZIFF 2025 Craccum Coverage | A Poet
More Than the Greats: Fatherhood and Failure in Poetry.
Simón Mesa Soto’s A Poet ultimately rewrites the myth of the tortured poet. As someone who considers themselves a poet at heart, I expected a lyrical tribute to the artistic struggle. Instead, I found a sharp critique of it. The story follows Oscar, a flailing writer wandering through Colombia’s boroughs, clinging to the ghosts of Bukowski and Wilde. He tries to reclaim his poetic voice but slowly realises that what matters more is his daughter's voice– her own future.
The film is deceptively lighthearted, delivered as satire but grounded in biting realism. Oscar is a frustrating character– an unapologetic alcoholic, a neglectful father, and a selfish mentor. Yet moments of vulnerability, like studying for the bar exam with his daughter, show a man trying, in his own way, to love.
Yurlady, a 15-year-old girl of extraordinary poetic talent, stands in quiet contrast. Her character arc challenges Western saviour complexes and the fetishisation of suffering in marginalised art. Yurlady's story highlights how artistic recognition is often filtered through class privilege and racial appropriation.
The film is stylistically distinct: handheld shots, abrupt drive-by cuts, and bold red title cards capturing intertwining chaos and intimacy. Though I wished for more stillness at some points, its pacing mirrors the relentlessness of real life. Perhaps that was the entire point.
A Poet rejects the myth that greatness must come from profound suffering. It offers something more simple yet radically true: that to be good– to be present, kind, and hopeful in life– may be the greatest magnum opus of all.
