Some previews opt to give audiences a run down of the plot from start to finish. Others choose to envelop cinemagoers in the film’s general mood. The second full-length trailer for Andrea Di Stefano’s directorial debut, Escobar: Paradise Lost, proffers to a different objective. In this fast-paced glimpse, the goal appears to be transforming placid Hunger Games star Josh Hutcherson into rugged leading man material.
As its title suggests, the film involves infamous drug kingpin Pablo Escobar (Benecio Del Toro) – but it doesn’t revolve around him. Nope, the focal point for this story is young surfer Nick (Hutcherson), who takes a trip to Colombia to visit his brother. While engaging in a spot of wave-riding, he meets beautiful local, Maria and obviously falls head over heels. Obviously, because her uncle happens to be Escobar, meaning he’s in for a whirlwind of madness.
There’s been no hiding the fact that Di Stefano adopted a certain artistic edge when it came to the film’s story. This isn’t after all a straight-up biopic of the feared drug lord. As this new preview indicates further, it’s a slice of life drama that takes shape through Hutcherson’s eyes. His perspective guides us deeper into the nefarious antics of Escobar and his crew, and with each step he transitions from a meek lad into a gun-wielding adult.
It’ll be interesting to see who comes out on top of this power struggle, and we’ve not got too much longer to wait, as Escobar: Paradise Lost hits iTunes on December 16th, followed by a theatrical release on January 16th.
Young surfer Nick thinks all his dreams have come true when he goes to visit his brother in Columbia. Against an idyllic backdrop of blue lagoons and white beaches he falls madly in love with a beautiful Colombian girl called Maria. It all seems perfect until he meets her uncle, one Pablo Escobar.
