Objectivity What a surprise, what a surprise !I thought this was going to be a financial thriller and ended up watching one of the best films in my lifetime.Anyone who has lived in a developing country will experience a rollercoaster of emotions on seeing this film as the story could apply to absolutely any developing country. And what a story. Ten minutes into the film and I started saying "What a fantastic film - who made this film ?", and I carried on saying that at regular intervals throughout the film. This film has so many layers that if you understand everything it is trying to portray you simply want to meet the Writer/Director. For the Writer/Director to hail from New York and yet understand all the subtelties, consequences, and tragedies of life for the common person in a developing country demonstrates a unique capacity for observation and, critically, empathy.This is a cinematically beautiful, sad, brutally accurate, tense, but also uplifting film, all at the same time. This film should have been taken to Cannes and it would have won the top prize - someone missed a marketing trick there.Still - easily one of the best films I have ever seen. Watch it - you won't regret it.

Nicole Finley Sometimes in the film culture, there can be a presence of skewed portrayals of different ethnicities or places that aren't the reality of their actual representation. For example, a lot of people see Peru as just an exotic vacation destination because of the beautiful rain forests and Machu Picchu that's the logical destination. It's not depicting Peru in its entirety in the way it deserves. However, I can say with full conviction and admiration that Director Barney Elliot in The Debt, took the time and care to create a thrilling but heart felt drama while fostering Peruvian culture and history by accurately portraying the reality of Peru. He didn't set this high finance deal between New York businessmen and Peruvian farmers regarding the 1968 agrarian reform in Machu Picchu or the exotic shorelines. Rather, he showed the urban, busy life of Lima, the hard working farmland pastures of the Peruvian countryside, and the limited amount of hospital care in Peru to tell a moving yet suspenseful tale on the unexpected consequences of the character's decisions. I recommend this not only for fans of dramas but also it is important to be educated on the reality of our worldly surroundings.

FSUMotionPictures The Debt won several awards at several different film festivals, and for good reason. The film is a thriller set in the financial world of Peru and New York, and follows a young businessman who's tasked with purchasing land in the countryside. The plot takes off quickly, and instantly grips the viewer in compelling twists and turns as characters unfold different parts of the mystery. Stephen Dorff plays the young businessman, and he does an incredible job, and really delivers. His character, at first, is only concerned with sealing the deal, but later becomes torn between his morals and his job. His boss is played by the Oscar nominated David Strathairn, and also delivers a great performance. A seemingly cliché demanding boss at first, it's revealed that he has more sinister intentions in mind. Elsa Olivero plays a struggling nurse whose sole goal is helping her mother receive the surgery she desperately needs. Her performance is also one for the books, and as all their plot threads come together at the end, you'll be glued to the screen. It has a thought provoking ending, and it's heart- warming at the same time. I highly recommend this compelling film, for it will surely surprise anyone who sees it.

onthejuice In this story the common conceptions of the international free trade system are confronted. The film brings together the lives of various parties and focuses upon the fate of one boy.Individuals can be understood as separate and distant from each other. Yet in this depiction, the interdependence of individuals, of their actions, within the global economic system is brought into question.The film attempts to bring light upon and question the issues of independence, of the seemingly autonomous existence capitalism promotes and depicts the interconnected nature of dealings across the international economy, ultimately bringing the various parties together to confront the realities of the decisions they make.The writer/director does not attempt to go into the philosophy of film, nor do they give bourgeois depictions of meaning to life, but faces the realities of the system in which we live. It's not happy go lucky, the film is not an objection to capitalism nor does it try to be a sermon of the misfortunes of the poor and the evil natures of the rich, but presents a perspective of the responsibilities and realities we face in the economically focused lifestyles which we are a part of.In the same vain as 'blood diamond' and 'promised land'.