A Poet

Name: A Poet
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: January 30, 2026
Duration: 120 min
Rating: 85

2026

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Universal acclaim based on 13 Critic Reviews

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Movie Details & Credits

1-2 Special | Release Date: January 30, 2026 | Not Rated

Summary: An aging poet finds purpose mentoring Yurlady, a talented teen, though exposing her to the poetry scene might be unwise. His own poetic pursuits led nowhere, leaving him a stereotypical obscure writer.

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 120 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Robert Abele

Jan 31, 2026

A Poet rides its wave of misfit compassion so beautifully because its contradictions live inside Rios’s howling, pitiable shambles of a character, who at times looks like someone sketched by a cynical animator but finished by a sympathetic colorist. Read full review

The Playlist Ankit Jhunjhunwala

Dec 11, 2025

A Poet is modest but engrossing and a successful attempt by Soto to transcend the stereotypes imposed upon him and his cinema as a Colombian artist. Read full review

Alissa Wilkinson

Jan 29, 2026

The writer and director Simón Mesa Soto skewers with knowing precision a kind of devotion to the creative life — without much of the creating — that renders one useless in the real world. The allure of the image of the tortured artist can be so enticing that it obscures the actual art. Read full review

IndieWire Ben Croll

Dec 11, 2025

Few leave unscathed as the handheld camera whip-pans and fast-zooms between cringe-comedy and genuine pathos and back again — especially once the hapless prof paves his own road to hell with his good intentions. Read full review

The Film Stage Jordan Raup

Dec 11, 2025

This Un Certain Regard jury prize winner is a darkly humorous, cautionary character study in letting one’s long-lost creative dreams drive every decision––one in which Soto, more often than not, finds empathy as his protagonist circles the drain. Read full review

Jonathan Holland

Dec 11, 2025

Driven by a compelling performance from non-professional Ubeimar Rios as a man out of time, Mesa Soto’s second feature is simultaneously satisfyingly tragic and hilarious. Read full review

Next Best Picture David Cuevas

Dec 11, 2025

The culmination of Soto’s themes mixed with his comedic prowess produces an insightful meta-meditation on the meaning of creation. Its rewarding contemplations conclude its saga of misfortune with the power of the spoken word — wrapping the protagonist’s search for creative consolidation with a heart-rending bookend. Read full review

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