A Poet

''A Poet'' is a film directed and written by the Colombian Simón Mesa Soto.

An intimate and melancholic tragicomedy that reflects on creative failure, artistic vocation, and the meaning of poetry in a world that is little inclined to listen to it. 

The story follows Óscar Restrepo, an aging and disenchanted writer whose obsession with literature has never brought him recognition or stability. Immersed in precariousness and an erratic life, Óscar represents the reverse of the romantic myth of the artist: a forgotten creator, trapped between frustration, alcohol, and the feeling of having arrived too late to everything.

His routine changes when he meets Yurlady, a young woman from a humble background who shows a natural talent for writing.

Convinced of her potential, he decides to become her mentor and introduce her to the world of poetry, seeing in her an opportunity for personal redemption and a way to give meaning to his own trajectory. However, as he guides her, a moral dilemma arises within him: to help her develop her voice or to warn her of the emotional, economic, and social price that dedicating oneself to art may entail.

Shot with a raw and close aesthetic, the film combines humor and sadness to explore the contradictions of artistic life, while portraying the Colombian social context and the fragility of those who persist in creating despite adversity. 

The result is an honest and bittersweet look at vocation, the passage of time, and the human need to keep writing (or living) even when the world seems not to be watching.