Synopsis
The life story of Manuel Antonio Garcia through the metaphors of “Invention of Life” and the ongoing “Journey”. Manuel Antonio is a displaced peasant who arrives 30 years ago to Puerto Esperanza, a hamlet of El Castillo (Meta) of about 300 residents, with the intention of planting coffee and bananas. In January 2004, on order from the 26th front of the FARC, the inhabitants of Puerto Esperanza are expelled, with only a few remaining. Among those is Manuel Antonio, who for five months refuses to leave his land. After multiple pressures from the rebel group, he travels to Acacias (Meta) to live with one of his daughters. Working diligently, but with little enthusiasm for his new life, he decides to withdraw their savings to buy a horse, and returns to Puerto Esperanza to retrieve their land. Being the only inhabitant of the village, he is now owner of over 50 houses that have been uninhabited for several months. At 84 years of age, he has no fear of death; as he asserts: “The only thing to fear is a rising river or a snake.”
