The Boy from Medellín movie review (2021)

Considering that reggaeton was exported from Puerto Rico to the rest of the Americas, the doc could have benefitted from a slightly broader look into its history in the South American country, and Balvín’s position within this incredibly popular and rapidly transforming genre. Colombia is currently a major hub for reggaeton, home to some of the most successful artists in this musical style

Less conspicuous is the realization of the number of people who sustain all aspects of Balvín’s life so that he can eventually get on stages at venues across the globe: from the administrative to his health and his emotional support system. It takes a village.

During the high stress week, with his vocal cords acting up and Colombians demanding a pronouncement, there are visits from his spiritual advisor, his psychiatrist, and his physician; plus interactions with his assistant, his girlfriend, his longtime friends, and other peripheral individuals whose roles aren’t explicitly explained. All feel essential to him.

Through Balvín’s plights, Heineman invites us to consider how entertainers have become commodified and disassociated from their humanity in our eyes. That’s not a cry for pity or compassion, but to investigate our expectations of them as people and not solely as distant figures.

Do we sometimes demand more from those paid to offer distraction than from elected officials? Probably. Have we conflated their large platforms with a duty to offer solutions or enact change? That seems to be the case. And though asking those in those positions to use their power for good is not unreasonable, the pressure of mass opinions tends to get out of hand.

“The Boy from Medellín” confronts José Álvaro Osorio Balvín with J. Balvin at a critical moment in his career, and more significantly for his homeland’s futures. At the core of these conjectures is his favorite song, “El Cantante” by Puerto Rican singer Héctor Lavoe, who got a biopic a few years ago. The lyrics speak of a singer’s obligation to amuse while in front of a paying audience, to forget about his own tribulations, and project what the world wants to see. On stage, the crowd’s screams showers him in glory, but the deceptive glow vanishes when he steps off it. 

Now available on Amazon.