After a long night's shift, single mother Amparo returns home to find that her teenage son has been drafted and will be sent to a war zone near the border. With only a single day left until his departure to the frontline, Amparo (the Spanish word translates into 'protection') sets on a mission to fight against the corrupt society and save her son. Despite its explicit depictions of injustice and fraud, and the endless disappointments that the protagonist and her family are put through, there is not much emotional outburst in the film, as if the people know too well that this is a war "fought by the poor." Amparo is the first feature film by director Simón Mesa Soto, who won the short film Palme d'Or in 2014. Leading actress Sandra Melissa Torres (herself a non-professional) scored the Rising Star Award at Semaine de la Critique at this year's Cannes Film Festival. (Karen PARK)