“The Wind Journeys,” May 22, 2016 (2009), DVD, ColumbianSpanish/dialects/indigenous language subtitles. This thoughtful, beautiful and harsh Columbian film written and directed by Ciro Guerra, chronicles the journey of Octavio. Corrillo (Marciano Martinez, a renowned singer) a former troubadour and singer of vallenato, the lyric ballads of love, life and death in rural northeastern Columbia. He sets out on Ash Wednesday to return his accordion following the untoward death of his wife. The instrument is, purportedly cursed after it was won by his master, Don Guerra (no coincidence that it matches the director’s name) from the Devil himself. Octavio is trailed by Femin, an adolescent who hopes to follow in his footsteps as a great troubadour. Though Octavio does not wish to play, he must sing for their supper, their passage, and their lives in contests, as entertainment, as the soundtrack to a duel as they head higher and higher into the mountains and along the seacoast out onto the salt flats of the Guajira, seeking his former Master. The wind is omnipresent, buffeting the travelers, creating the music of the accordion, and whistling through flutes of the indigenous peoples. Music, magic, and Santeria religion are everywhere. This is a different part of Columbia than we usually see. There are no drug wars here, only life and death struggles of a different sort, only battles to prove your supremacy as an artists. That triumph will lead you to a life replete with women and fame, but it will also lead you to a life of perpetual travel and longing for love and meaning. This is a slow-paced but very beautiful film