Poppy Garden

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Poppy Garden, or Jardín de Amapolas in Spanish, is a Colombian drama directed by Juan Carlos Melo Guevara. Made from 2007 to 2012 and released in theaters in 2014, the film follows Emilio, a 38-year-old farmer, and his nine-year-old son Simón in the Nariño region during Colombia’s long conflict. After paramilitary groups push them off their land, they move to live with their cousin Wilson. Emilio starts working in an illegal poppy field and a heroin lab owned by Ramiro. Simón befriends Luisa, and the two have small adventures while the danger around them grows, including minefields planted by drug traffickers.

As events unfold, Simón is found on the poppy farm and learns that his mother and siblings were killed. Ramiro befriends him and teaches him to shoot. Rebels attack the town, and Emilio shields Simón. Later, a paramilitary unit occupies the town and shoots residents suspected of helping guerrillas, including Luisa. Simón is forced to steal drugs; Ramiro shoots him, and the drug lab explodes, allowing Emilio and Simón to escape. The film was shot with local actors from Nariño, many of them new to cinema, and most of the crew were first-timers. The director says the natural beauty of Nariño is a key asset. To film a large poppy farm, he planted a small field and duplicated the footage digitally. It took eight years to bring the project to the screen, with a premiere in Pasto in 2014 and a festival showing in Cartagena in 2012. Critics praised its simple, intimate storytelling and its realistic look at rural life in a country affected by violence.