It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

In a sea of summer films packed with CGI and special effects, Writer and Director Barney Elliott has delivered a smart, clever, and thoughtful, multi-narrative thriller based on a historical reform that took place in 1968. Stephen Dorff stars as a New York financier who will go against all odds to settle a business deal with a Peruvian farming community, a deal which has implication to destroy their way of life. The Debt is a thrilling mystery rooted in realistic, honest characters who are joined by the force of having to make a decision with the effects being out of their control. Definitely worth a watch this summer.

The Debt features riveting talent all across the board. Blade's Stephen Dorff and The Bourne Ultimatum's David Strathairn shine as the bankers who attempt to acquire land from a Peruvian family. Barney Elliott has managed to put together a moving cast that portrays the suspenseful story; with a special mention for Elsa Olivero who gives a heartbreaking performance as a nurse who tries desperately to care for her sick mother. The narrative is topical as it involves three separate stories that intertwine because of a deal to buy some land in Peru by New York financiers. In my opinion, newcomer Barney Elliott showcases great direction and writing as presented by a surprising turn the film makes, which caught me off guard. Furthermore, the film is shot beautifully as Peru is such a vibrant setting. It's great to see an independent movie that utilizes every frame from start to finish and kept me on edge. I recommend that any film lover see this feature.

The Debt won several awards at several different film festivals, and for good reason. The film is a thriller set in the financial world of Peru and New York, and follows a young businessman who's tasked with purchasing land in the countryside. The plot takes off quickly, and instantly grips the viewer in compelling twists and turns as characters unfold different parts of the mystery. Stephen Dorff plays the young businessman, and he does an incredible job, and really delivers. His character, at first, is only concerned with sealing the deal, but later becomes torn between his morals and his job. His boss is played by the Oscar nominated David Strathairn, and also delivers a great performance. A seemingly cliché demanding boss at first, it's revealed that he has more sinister intentions in mind. Elsa Olivero plays a struggling nurse whose sole goal is helping her mother receive the surgery she desperately needs. Her performance is also one for the books, and as all their plot threads come together at the end, you'll be glued to the screen. It has a thought provoking ending, and it's heart- warming at the same time. I highly recommend this compelling film, for it will surely surprise anyone who sees it.

In this story the common conceptions of the international free trade system are confronted. The film brings together the lives of various parties and focuses upon the fate of one boy.Individuals can be understood as separate and distant from each other. Yet in this depiction, the interdependence of individuals, of their actions, within the global economic system is brought into question.The film attempts to bring light upon and question the issues of independence, of the seemingly autonomous existence capitalism promotes and depicts the interconnected nature of dealings across the international economy, ultimately bringing the various parties together to confront the realities of the decisions they make.The writer/director does not attempt to go into the philosophy of film, nor do they give bourgeois depictions of meaning to life, but faces the realities of the system in which we live. It's not happy go lucky, the film is not an objection to capitalism nor does it try to be a sermon of the misfortunes of the poor and the evil natures of the rich, but presents a perspective of the responsibilities and realities we face in the economically focused lifestyles which we are a part of.In the same vain as 'blood diamond' and 'promised land'.