Proof of the chaos and misery that plague Caracas are the hordes of dogs
that roam the streets, abandoned by the millions of Venezuelans who flee the
country. That’s why Ulises, who’s flat broke and teaches in a modest cinema
workshop, agrees to create a foundation to rescue dogs in need. Ulises is
unwittingly dragged into an odyssey of family entanglements, dangers that
have him doubting the people around him—where suddenly no one is what
they seem—and mysteries surrounding the most famous, patriotic dogs in
Venezuela.
With a masterful hand and refined sense of humour, Rodrigo Blanco has
produced a mystery, not without parodic elements, packed with references to
cinema, literature, and dogs. Simpatía is like a tragicomic fresco, sometimes
grotesque, of Venezuela today. There’s an ironic, irreverent take on some of
the country’s most mythical figures, from Simón Bolívar to Hugo Chávez, and a
sharp, hilarious reflection on inheritance and identity.
