TIFF 2026 Review: Where the River Begins – “The pacing is meditative”

Seeking to help her young daughter, Yajaira decides to leave the streets of Bogotá and to return her home in the rainforest.

Children are gleefully running through a rainforest and dive into the water to go swimming, only to see a building go up in flames.  The action transitions to the urban setting of Bogotá, where the squalor is rampant and earning a living means resorting to criminal activities.   Yajaira is a street vendor selling handmade crafts but there is a communal belief that her daughter Maria has been hexed.  In order to rectify the situation Yajaira decides to embark on a journey back to where she and Maria came from.  Accompanying them is teenage gang member John, who is looking for a fresh start and a way of life that would make his deceased father proud.

A striking image is the peaceful underwater perspective of the children swimming in the river, turning a reddish hue, which is revealed to be a burning building. Another is Yajaira walking through a residential complex and entering a section that contains extensive vegetation, which is combined with the sounds of a rainforest.  And finally, the juxtaposition of Yajaira taking a photo of herself on social media with her smartphone while surrounded by poverty.  There are a series of long tracking shots as the camera follows the characters, conveying an in-the-moment feeling to the proceedings.

Girleza Duave Cerezo has a quiet and determined presence as Yajaira, Juan David Junca Linares portrays Jhon as a tortured soul and the child actors of Ana Michell Nama Dumaza and Arlinson Queragama Arias have a playfulness that is endearing.   The pacing is meditative, which is both good and bad.  It provides an opportunity for the performances to breathe but at the same time makes the narrative feel drawn-out.  The idea of returning home to move forward rather than being an indication of failure is an interesting one.

The 51st Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10-20, 2026, and for more information visit tiff.net.   

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada; he can be found at LinkedIn.