Cocote

A devoutly religious man, Alberto (Vicente Santos) works as a gardener at a palatial estate in the capital of the Dominican Republic. When he learns that his father has died under unexplained circumstances, he takes time off to travel to his hometown on the coast, where it turns out that his father was murdered. The village is being torn apart by organized crime, and Aberto's relatives, who took over the family following the death of the patriarch, have plans for him. They insist not only that he take part in pagan funeral rites but also that he avenge his father's death, although both these things contradict his Evangelical beliefs. Cocote (a word meaning the neck of an animal that is to be decapitated) is not only a tale of vengeance, but above all an eccentric portrait of the Dominican cultural landscape, created using various techniques and formats. The film premiered at last year's festival in Locarno, where it won the experimental section, Signs of Life.