Stillz, the Puerto Rican director best known for shooting Bad Bunny's music videos, makes his feature debut with Barrio Triste, a film that trades celebrity gloss for a study of marginalised youth in the crime-ridden slums of 1980s Medellín. Shot on Betacam video, the film opens with a group of young men stealing a TV crew's camera and using it to film their own anarchic exploits, turning a tool of mainstream media back on itself. The restless, roving camerawork prioritises atmosphere and mood over conventional narrative, even as the youths drift into crisis points including a robbery and a hostage killing.

The Guardian's review praises the film's raw, chaotic energy, singling out a standout sequence that moves from punks rehearsing on a rooftop to volatile street encounters, and commends Arca's electronic score for its gunshot-like beats. However, the review argues these strengths are undercut by self-indulgent touches, including the score's overuse and awkward interview-style interludes in which a young protagonist answers unseen questions about his hopes and dreams. Despite backing from Harmony Korine's production company EDGLRD, the critic concludes the film falls short of classic depictions of wasted youth, offering style without substance. Barrio Triste opens in UK cinemas on 18 September.