Showtimes
ARCO Theatre (Palm Canyon Theatre)
By Robert St. Martin
Palm Springs, CA (The Hollywood Times) 1/7/26 – An off-beat charming film from Colombia at the Palm Springs International Film Festival is the delightful deadpan comedy “A Poet” (Un Poeta), by Simón Mesa Soto. Winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, this absurdist tragicomedy explores the challenges of pursuing an artistic life and skewers the contradictory ideals of the creative classes. Starring Ubeimar Rios as a washed-up, once award-winning poet named Oscar, he is a man who loves to talk about the importance of poetry, his specifically, but lives such a miserable life that he can no longer create it. A Poet has showings on: Thursday, January 8, 2026, at 4:45 PM, at the Mary Pickford 10; Friday, January 9, 2026, at 4:15 PM, at the ARCO Theatre (Palm Canyon Theatre); and Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 8:00 PM, at the ARCO Theatre (Palm Canyon Theatre). For tickets and more information, go to https://psfilmfest.org/film-festival-2026/film-finder/a-poet.
Oscar is basically miserable, living with his acerbic aging mother and trying unsuccessfully to reconnect with his teenage daughter. He spends most of his time getting thrown out of Medellin’s dive bars and making a spectacle of himself at local poetry events. He’s a walking cliché, the tortured poet who can’t sustain a relationship with partners or his daughter (Allison Correa). In the Q&A after the screening, director Soto explained how he found Ubeimar Ríos, a non-actor and a local high school teacher of philosophy, to play Oscar. He went on to tell us that Ríos’ personality and personal quirks turned out to be a perfect fit for the character of Oscar.
Oscar spends his days caring for his aging mother (with whom he still lives) and his nights drunkenly yelling at people about poetry until he passes out. A good way to convey the tone of Oscar’s life in Soto’s vision is to note that the first chapter of this film is named “Failure.” He tries to get his old books sold, can’t do new work, and finds himself consistently embarrassed, such as when he goes on a talk show and is asked to read a love poem while sitting next to a man whose song “Wet My Jacuzzi” is going viral. After getting a teaching gig, Oscar meets a young woman named Yurlady (Rebeca Andrade), who he becomes convinced has what it takes to be a successful poet, even though Oscar doesn’t really know what that means.
Things are looking up briefly when Oscar meets a teenager Yurlady (Rebeca Andrade), when he takes a part-time job as a teacher in a high school. She is also a poet, or at least, she writes prose very well. Surprised by the clarity and beauty of her writing, Oscar takes Yurlady on as a mentee, trying to recover his past glory through her talent. However, coming from a poor family, Yurlady is more interested in finding ways to support her family. If poetry can be a way out of poverty, then she’s interested. Otherwise, she would rather spend her time painting her nails.
The satiric dimension of “A Poet” kicks in when Oscar finds Yurlady a position at a prestigious poetry school. The principals and investors behind that institution can’t get enough of Yurlady. They try to turn this Black girl from humble origins into their mascot, using her to generate publicity and donations. This satire of art institutions and the people who populate them rings true. Soto has an unflinching eye that exposes these poseurs: pretentious artists who act as mentors, art patrons who use their money and power to wield access and to play like they belong in the art world, white and foreign patrons who want to appear progressive by supporting the art of people of color.
Soto keeps his focus on the relationship developing between Yurlady and Oscar. They might not have what they thought they needed from each other, yet they still manage to form a connection. Yurlady isn’t interested in becoming a poet, and Oscar is a terrible mentor. He’s also the unluckiest man in the world; situations have a way of getting out of hand when he’s around.
Despite his obvious flaws, Soto presents us with a sincere and well-meaning, yet absurdly self-centered, character who wins the affection of the audience. This may be due to our familiarity with a figure like Oscar, as we have all had our unpleasant moments and can see a bit of ourselves in his series of disasters. In the film, we witness several embarrassing scenes, although thankfully we are spared from seeing the worst of it, such as Oscar lowering his pants at a party to emphasize a point about a “black hole.”
Whatever its title may evoke, Colombian director Simón Mesa Soto’s “A Poet” plays more like a tall tale than a cinematic poem. a hilarious fable about trying to lead a creative life and failing miserably at making ends meet. Its tone shifts from absurdist to serious to satirical and back again. This odd mix should not work, but Soto pulls it off with a sure hand and precisely exacting storytelling. That it succeeds in being both funny and poignant makes “A Poet” even more of an achievement.
That both Rios and Andrade are nonprofessional actors shows Soto’s command of the substance of his film. Both actors have a natural presence in front of the camera. The film’s direction is authentic; the script is creative, smart, funny and at the same time thought-provoking. The performance of these actors is significantly impressive. Simón Mesa Soto is a Colombian film director and screenwriter known for his short films Leidi and Madre, and his first feature Amparo,which had its premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.
