El Peru’s one of most best-kept secrets for beaches and BIG surfing waves and a lot of sun is without doubt Máncora!
Máncora is the place to see and be seen along the Peruvian coast, where during the summer months foreigners flock to rub sunburned shoulders and enjoy on of Peru’s best sandy beaches, which stretches for several kilometers in the sunniest region of the country. But getting there isn’t easy, as driving there can take up to 18 hours from Lima–the capital–or a couple of hours via plane. Driving up to Máncora from Lima along the Panamericana Norte can be quite an experience, as one is traveling from the middle of the country to almost the northernmost part of this big nation that is actually bigger than it seems in most maps. The country is quite arid along the coast and the Pan-American Highway takes one along the many deserted areas of Peru.
BUT, how do I know this or anything about Máncora and what’s the relevance of it to ICINE? Well, it’s simple; a GREAT new film released in the United States recently called the same as this gem beach community: Máncora.
From the director of “La Mujer de Mi Hermano” (My Brothers Wife), and the writer of “Voces Inocentes” (Innocent Voices), Ricardo de Montreuil comes Máncora, a tender and pulsating road-trip drama that delicately traces the shifting emotional boundaries between three disconnected souls. Máncora introduces us to Santiago, a 21-year old from Lima who is haunted by his father’s recent and unexpected suicide. Suffocating in the chill of a grey Lima winter, Santiago decides to take refuge in Máncora, a beach town in the north of the country where summer never ends. Right before his departure, Santiago receives an unexpected visit from his stepsister Ximena, a vibrant, sexy Spanish photographer and her husband Iñigo, a brash art collector from New York. The tranquility of their getaway is quickly shattered by a powerful act of boundary-crossing and betrayal, which threatens to transform their relationship forever and turn Máncora in to a paradise lost.
The film begins with a lovely poem excerpt from César Vallejo’s–a great Latin American writer/poet from El Peru– from Los Heraldos Negros (The black messengers), which as you will see in the film is Santiago‘s gift from his father. And the excerpt reads…
Hay golpes en la vida tan fuertes . . . ¡Yo no se!
Golpes como del odio de Dios; como si ante ellos;
la resaca de todo lo sufrido se empozara en el alma
¡Yo no se! …
The film is reminiscent of Y Tu Mama Tambien with fresh new faces to us–in reality these are very talented actors in their own countries and IberoAmerica—that takes us on a road trip searching fordiscovery. The film has poetic undertones and raw look at life growing up and searching for what path one is to follow and its meaning and place in life. Ricardo de Montreuil‘s collaboration with Angel Ibargurent and Juan Luis Nugent (writers of the film’s screenplay), and Leandro Filloy’s cinematography, along with the precise casting of the main characters,, makes Máncora work, as great quality film that deserves to be noticed!
During this time of mediocre to BAD films out there, little independent/foreign films like this are those that need to be discovered, enjoyed and tell others about, so I am doing my part. I don’t want to provide with too much in depth information or details about it other than what’s been provided, but I assure you, you WON’T be disappointed!
It’s a universal story of discovery, growing up, going through difficult times–death, depression, etc.–love, friendship and family, with likeable characters in a very fresh new place to most of us Máncora, before now have you ever heard of it?
Now you know what it is, where it is and what this movie is all about…is playing in selected cities in the US, including Los Angeles’ Laemmle Theatres, which I highly recommend as an independent art house/boutique theatre group to support.
Go see it and tell everyone you know about this great film!
This Summer has been a very lackluster one for movies, take films like the new “Terminator” or “Angels & Demons” as a couple of examples of films that disappointed the audiences, critics and Hollywood studio executives. BUT, there is some hope, as Animated Films seem to be taking over Hollywood in popularity and success. One of those films is “UP”, which is this year’s “Wall-E”!
“UP” is the story of a young adventure spirited girl named Ellie and a boy named: Carl. They both dream of going to a Lost Land in South America, but Ellie never gets to make that dream true together, but Carl manages to make it finally happen in her honor. Carl’s determination and believing in such a place–Lost Land--makes makes this dream possible, by making his beautiful house fly away with the help of a thousand balloons. However, he gets a surprise on aboard, an 8 year old boy named Russell, who is trying to get an assisting the elderly badge, which he fully earns by the end of this story. Together, they embark in an adventure, where they encounter talking dogs, an evil villain and a rare bird named Kevin! The characters: Kevin, the main dog and their funny voices and Russell are a simply a joy!
Like “Wall-E”, “UP“, is a collaboration of Pixar and Disney, and as expected, it is touching, funny, moving, thrilling and a pleasure to watch! The characters are very human and the story is universal, about the power of love, dreaming and believing and determination, and all the trials and tribulations of life. But, it’s all done in a very entertaining and curious adventourous approach!
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