When democracy returns to Chile in 1990, a group of families flee the city in this emotionally poignant, visually sumptuous portrait of youth – the 2018 Locarno winner for Best Direction in the festival’s international competition.

In her third feature, rising Chilean talent Dominga Sotomayor takes an astute, semi-autobiographical and deeply empathetic approach to a particularly complex topic: the uncertainty that lingered over the entire country after the fall of the Pinochet regime, and its specific impact on the next generation.

Suddenly switching busy streets for a quiet life at the base of the Andes, 16-year-olds Sofía and Lucas and 10-year-old Clara endeavour to navigate their new world order. As New Year’s Eve approaches, it’s a time filled with carefree days, first romances and a pervasive feeling of freedom, as well as bitter struggles and big questions.

“Too Late to Die Young is Castillo’s remarkable endeavour to relive memories, sensations and lived moments from a time and place she has long since left behind.” – CineVue