Los Reyes (2018)

Directed by: Ivan Osnovikoff, Bettina Perut | 78 minutes | documentary

The Chilean documentary ‘Los Reyes’ follows the lives of skating teenagers in the Chilean skate park Los Reyes, through the eyes of the true ‘kings’ of the park; the mutts Chola and Football.

Initially, directors Bettina Perut and Iván Osnovikoff planned to make a documentary about the young people who regularly visit the oldest skate park in Santiago (Chile). But on closer inspection, the skaters weren’t the most approachable characters after all, and the group wasn’t solid enough to really portray. Then the directors’ eye fell on two other characters, inseparable, ever-present and not afraid of the camera: the street dogs Chola and Football (their names are not revealed until the credits). Two hefty black dogs that lead a free life in the middle of the park.

The street dogs love to play, run and laze around and are constantly busy with old tennis balls and plastic bottles. They are doing well in this mini-society that makes up the park. They are smart, sassy and love contact, and they look happy. And besides happy, also well-fed – they probably get enough to eat from people who take care of them. This forces the viewer to think about the ‘stray dogs’, whose lives look a lot more comfortable than that of the average Amsterdam dog who lives three high behind.

The skaters who gather in this park have allowed the directors to record their conversations, giving us an intimate glimpse into their lives – albeit anonymously. They all have their own story. We see little more than their signature skate shoes – dangling over the edge of a wall or speeding down the halfpipe on a board. But through voice-overs we learn about their lives, their problems and desires.

How simple the film – mainly due to the lack of a real ‘plot’ – appears to be, so worked out and detailed. The soundtrack in particular is cleverly put together: we hear city sounds, real-time barking or panting from the dogs, accompanied by the rolling sound of wheels on the asphalt; the clatter of the boards interspersed with the voices of the youngsters. Despite their apparent repetition, the images are also very varied. Shots from high above the skate park, with condominiums and majestic mountains in the background, are interspersed with close-ups of the dogs’ shoes, skateboards, fur and paws, and even the insects landing on their wet noses.

The documentary raises questions about the lives of these animals and what we humans should think about them. How do we deal with animals that live in our midst but are not ‘wild’? Why do we call dogs and cats without ‘owners’ stray dogs and cats, when squirrels, lizards or even foxes can also be found in an urban environment without us humans ‘having to’ do anything with them? These questions are carefully referenced without answering them. For example, we see a couple of construction workers placing two large dog houses in the park; Chola and Football show no interest whatsoever. The domestication of animals is also questioned by the emphatic shots of police on horseback or boys cycling past with two donkeys – much to the dismay of Chola and Football. The directors subtly but convincingly question the arbitrary, man-made distinctions between wild animals, strays, pets, animals to eat or animals that work for us.

The young people talk about problems that teenage boys often face: (step)parents, smoking weed, money, girls and school. Parallels are drawn between the dogs and the boys: they hang out, eat, play (whether with a ball or with a board). “If you don’t contribute, just do nothing, it will get boring at some point”, we hear one of the boys say towards the end of ‘Los Reyes’. A relevant issue: is it so? Does everyone always have to contribute? Is ‘just being there’ not enough? Although the film emphasizes the sluggishness at times, there is no question of a bad life; neither the youngsters nor the dogs. In this way, the film can also be seen as a plea for the importance of public space, especially in metropolitan cities where this is not always self-evident.

The directors leave the viewer with all kinds of possible conclusions and thoughts, but do not impose them on anything. Anyone who wants to see a metaphor in the dogs, who wants to draw a parallel, can do so without hesitation, but anyone who is satisfied with the beautiful images will also be satisfied. Besides food for thought, the film offers beautiful images, especially for dog lovers. Although watching a plotless skatepark for almost one and a half sometimes feels a bit long.