Chakero (2020)

• 84%
• 2020
• Alejandro Ángel Torres

In San Basilio de Palenque (Colombia), Grandfather Florentino is seriously ill and has gotten worse, his grandson Keyner must tell his uncles who live in Mahates, another town in the area, to go see him before it's too late. Keyner calls them but the cell phone signal has dropped again. Seeing the gravity of his grandfather, Keyner decides to go out on his old motorcycle to Mahates but halfway is stranded. At night, still stuck on the road, Florentino appears with his donkey. Bewildered Keyner does not understand what is happening and without knowing it, he discovers the ancestral trade his grandfather dedicated to: being a chakero, carrying the news and messages from town to town. Upon awakening, Keyner sees the donkey that Florentino was bringing at night, and without knowing if it was a dream he decides to follow his path on the animal's back. This is how he manages to reach Mahates and warn his family that his grandfather is in serious health, but when Keyner returns home Florentino has already died, or as the tradition palenquera marks, he has left on his last trip to Africa. With a traditional rite known as Lumbalú, Keyner and his family farewell Florentino.