Film

The Wage

1962 · 1h 2m

In the Colombian-Venezuelan Andes, a peasant works the land under exploitative conditions to ensure the survival of his family. His son is ill, his wife is pregnant, and he himself reproduces the violence that surrounds him. With no money for medical treatment, one night he gets drunk and is arrested. In jail, in a burst of fury, he rebels against the town's political boss in the only way he can. La Paga was a pioneering work of social and political cinema in Latin America, released the same year as Barravento, Glauber Rocha’s debut feature, and anticipating movements such as Third Cinema. Influenced by Italian Neorealism and Soviet cinema in its aesthetics, forms, and ideological approach, the film uses the archetypal representation of characters and the social and economic forces they embody. Based on the director’s childhood observations in his hometown, La Paga denounces the exploitation of the rural peasantry.

Alberto Álvarez

María Escalona

Rafael Briceño

Paco De La Riera

Eduardo Frank

Herman Lejter

Eduardo Mancera

Aníbal Rivero

• Ciro DuránDirector · Writer
• Marina GilProducer
• Raúl Delgado MillánDirector of Photography
• José Garrido CruzEditor

LA PAGA trailer | BFI London Film Festival 2025 – 8-19 October

Release date

July 22, 1962

Status

Released

Original language

Spanish

Runtime

1h 2m