House of Fury

Colombian writer Rosero (The Armies) delivers a wild and arresting tale set over the course of a single calamitous evening in Bogota. Nacho Caicedo, a supreme court magistrate, is hosting an anniversary party with his wife, Alma Santacruz. In attendance are their six daughters and others who profess unfettered loyalty to Nacho, including the one-eyed Lucio Rosas, whom Nacho saved from years in prison and hired as a gardener. Central to the night’s unfolding drama is the news of teen daughter Italia’s pregnancy and the appearance of Alma’s indigent brother, Jesús, whom she wants gone at any cost. Another daughter, Francia, is distraught to learn her fiancé has married someone else, while her sister Lisboa falls under the spell of a baritone butcher as old as Nacho. The situations are tragic, humorous, and ridiculous, and things take a turn for the menacing when Italia runs off with her boyfriend and his family of chicken vendors. After Nacho sets out to find her, he is kidnapped by a motley band of mercenaries bent on a biblical revenge as a series of earthquakes shake the city. In Rosero’s assured hands, the chaos serves as an incisive metaphor for Colombia’s tumultuous history. This is brilliant. (Feb.)