Olvidados/Forgotten: A Powerful Political Story Untold Until Now

By Jose Alberto Hermosillo

A well accomplished artistic composition with beautiful scenery, contrasting with the pain, remorse, and the human toll during the repression Era in Latin America named “Plan Condor.”

A story that has been censored for decades of forced silence now comes to light in a major motion picture. 

“Olvidados” was the Bolivian submission for the 87th Academy® Awards for Best Foreign Film.

A phone call from New York to Bolivia triggers the flashbacks of a dying general. His turbulent past is haunting him - From his military training by the CIA to the Era of repression, abuse of power, torture, executions, and enforced disappearances that became a human tragedy in all South America during the 1970’s.

Those were the Golden years of the Cold War when the USA fought against the communist penetration of the Soviet Union in Latin America.

Copyright © Cinema Libre Studio, 2015

In the big picture, the US intentionally turned a blind eye to the dictatorial regimes which committed crimes against humanity in Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay, and Brazil. These countries were fertile fields where such atrocities occurred.

Copyright © Cinema Libre Studio, 2015

The casualty counts were in the thousands.

The extraordinary reconstruction of settings of the Repression Era of "Los Olvidados" show in detail how these crimes were committed, the impunity and with no remorse, recreating perfectly the dark atmosphere of its mysterious past. 

Damián Alcázar (“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”) is a chameleon actor who played the victim roles in films like: “Herod’s Law/La Ley de Herodes,” “El Infierno,” “The Perfect Dictatorship/La dictadura perfecta,” and now he plays the magnanimous General José Mendieta in “Olvidados.”

Damián Alcázar is terrific as the bad guy too.

D. Carlos Bolado. Photo by Jose Alberto Hermosillo.

Director Carlos Bolado (“Bajo California, el límite del tiempo,” “Tlatelolco, Verano de 68,” “Colosio, el asesinato”) managed to put together an artistic composition of beautiful images, great performances, but with lots of pain from the victims, the oppressors and their families too.

Bolado states in an interview: “Reality is worse than fiction,” meaning it’s almost impossible to write or place in a movie the tragedy of the Operación Condor.

The camera captures the beauty, but remains rigid and stiff, giving an intentional and unnecessary claustrophobic effect to the film, leaving us to wonder for something else to happen, but nothing else is happening.

The editing lost its tempo, it needed to be organic, logic, and balanced with a better structure to make the sequences more harmonic to create a significant impact of the situations of agony experienced by the main characters. A stronger dramatic punch was needed it.

Copyright © Cinema Libre Studio 2015

There are similar films on the subject of repression and torture, the Argentinean Oscar winner “The Secret in Their Eyes” (2009), the also Argentinean brutal film “Garage Olimpo”(1999) directed by Marco Bechis, and the Mexican production “The Violin” (2005) directed by Francisco Vargas. All of these films projected the hunger for justice people have for those atrocities to be recognized.

The most significant accomplishment of “Olvidados” is its strong message about how people lived and died. And how the very few of the lucky ones survived the repression caused by the absurd policies implemented by the Condor Operation,

“Olvidados” left a feeling of the emptiness and desolation in people’s hearts for the lost ones and mostly for "los desaparecidos…"

Olvidados Trailer:

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Copyright © 2015 Festival in LA

The New Girlfriend: A New Trend in Queer Cinema

By Jose Alberto Hermosillo

“The New Girlfriend” is a fabulous, elegant, quirky, and twisted story about losing someone, overcoming grief, and morphing into someone else. This French movie is magnifique! 

François Ozon (“Swimming Pool,” “Ricky,” “Angel,” “Young & Beautiful”) masterfully addresses the transgender affair in his latest work, “Une nouvelle amie/The New Girlfriend,” finding a man in need to become a woman, not like a foolish obsession, but as a conscious decision that will affect everyone surrounding him, including his baby girl. 

As Pedro Almodóvar did in “All About My Mother” and Xavier Dolan in “Laurens Anyways,” Ozon’s “Girlfriend” also has a male character deciding to be a woman, not a transvestite but a total transgender.

The emotional journey starts with a montage of an elegant funeral, then cuts to a flashback where two little girls, Claire and Laura, make a blood covenant, swearing: “A le vie, a le amour….” In a flash-forward where the girls have grown up,  they go to the disco, have their first boyfriend, kiss, and break up.

The intensity of the musical score elevates the emotions without relying on unnecessary words to convey what the actors are feeling through their actions.

One of them marries, gets pregnant, and dies, leaving a baby girl needing a mother. 

The “other girlfriend,” Claire, naturally played by Anaïs Demounstier (“Bird People,” “Thérèse”), remembers the promise she made to her late girlfriend to look after her baby. In that sense, she gets closer to David to discover an uncomfortable truth for everyone, but she conforms for the baby.  

Romain Duris at COLCOA 2014. Photo by Jose Alberto Hermosillo

David, the widower, fantastically played by Romain Duris (“Chinese Puzzle,” “Russian Dolls,” “The Spanish Apartment”), notices that the only thing that makes the little girl stop crying is the smell of her late mother’s perfume still infused in her clothes.

He disguises himself as the woman who passed and cares for the baby. The baby is content in the arms of his new “mother.”

The story gets complicated when Claire discovers David dressed in her late girlfriend’s garments. She runs away but returns, remembering her promise and honoring her word to take care of the baby.

Things get convoluted when David becomes Virginia (“The New Girlfriend”) and wants to go out shopping. Romain Duris is terrific, just like David and Virginia.

“The New Girlfriend” is a well-crafted French queer drama that underscores the importance of high-quality costume design and makeup in achieving proper characterization. Audiences value authenticity and honesty in a film with a good story and production value.

Other memorable performances of terrific actors taking the risk by doing a transgender role outside of Hollywood are:

Miguel Bosé en “High Heels/Tacones lejanos”, España.

Roberto Cobo, en “The Place without Limits/El lugar sin límites”, México.

Gael García Bernal in “Bad Education,” Spain.

Finally, the British drama “The Danish Girl,” starring Oscar-winning best actor Eddy Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”), who now plays a man transforming into a woman.

In “The New Girlfriend,” the story’s dichotomy plays an important role: David, as Virginia, is not sexually attracted to men, yet he/she still likes women.

Virginia says, “Men are born in cabbages, women are born with flowers, and I was born in a cauliflower.”

Ultimately, we all learn a valuable lesson: “It’s a hard job to be a woman.”

François Ozon’s “New Girlfriend” was screened to a packed house at the Los Angeles Closing Night Gala of the renowned Outfest 2015.

The film lovers who attended the event laughed, cherished, and applauded this male-to-female transgender feel-good movie.

Closing Night Outfest 2015, Photo by Jose Alberto Hermosillo. Copyrights Festival in LA

TRAILER:

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Ixcanul: Pursuits Guatemala’s First Oscar Nomination

By José Alberto Hermosillo 

A timeless epic with a superior “joie de vivre.” Powerful, evocative, unforgettable.

 

It is a living poem, featuring breathtaking cinematography and well-crafted magical realism. 

The Guatemalan Oscar submission in the best foreign-language film category, “Ixcanul,” is a daring coming-of-age story about a young teenager living in an isolated Mayan community who begins to discover her sexuality and emotions while grappling with the personal conflicts of her challenging reality.

Italian Poster

“Ixcanul” is the Mayan word for “Volcano.” The character-driven story centers on Maria (Maria Mercedes Croy) and her brutal working family, who live in a small coffee community on the volcano’s slopes. The hot weather and rich soil produce some of the world’s best coffee. They are the Kakchiquels.

Although Maria is only seventeen and should be preparing for her “Quinceañera,” she is preparing for an arranged marriage. 

In many countries, it is acceptable for a young girl to marry a mature, wealthy man: India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China are examples where honor is valued more than love, choice, or freedom.

In the Oscar-nominated “Water,” Deepa Mehta illustrates how young girls are forced into marriage with older men in India — the beauty of this Canadian production makes us forget the horrors those young women endure. 

In Atiq Rahimi’s “The Patient Stone,” a young Afghan woman tells the truth to her older, decrepit husband as a form of catharsis against oppression.

In “Ixcanul,” Maria’s issues and decisions mirror those faced by millions of women, even in developed countries: anxiety, first-time sex, unwanted pregnancy, abortion, single motherhood, postpartum depression, and so on.

In the movie “Grandma,” by Paul Weitz (“About a Boy” and “American Pie”), in California, Lily Tomlin’s granddaughter is experiencing the same situation as Maria in Guatemala. The only difference is that the American film is viewed as a comedy, while the one from Central America is viewed as a drama.  

The Bride’s mother is Juana, excellently played by Maria Telón. She is teaching her daughter how to be a good wife. 

Manuel, the father, played by Manuel Antún, is hard-working, righteous, and honest.

French Poster

Living as in John Huston’s “Under the Volcano,” mother and daughter participate in an ancient Mayan ceremony.

Some of those rituals are reminiscent of the epic Hollywood movies set in the Pacific Islands, Hawaii, Africa, and South America, where the spectacular landscapes and human tragedy blend with captivating, hypnotic imagery that conveys deep emotions.

The groom is Ignacio, “El Capataz” (the person in charge of the fields), and actor Justo Lorenzo portrays him as a low-essential character who, without raising his voice, takes advantage of the starving farmers, the girl, and her family. He represents a continuation of a classicist system that oppresses vulnerable people in Guatemala. 

Human exploitation has persisted for centuries, not only in Mayan communities but also in other isolated parts of the world. Under such conditions, it is hard to have dreams — there is no dreaming in this town when the world is against you. 

The little money they earn from harvesting coffee is spent on food and on getting drunk. People struggle to survive in this environment — reaching for dreams is not an option. 

 

Maria’s dream is to go to the big city and follow El Pepe (Marvin Coroy) to the United States, but destiny and her status as a Mayan woman will significantly affect her dreams.

El Pepe is a young boy who likes Maria, enjoys the moment, and takes advantage of any situation. He is the only one who has lived in the United States and longs to return.

 

Maria sarcastically tells Pepe (in Mayan): “You’d better start learning Spanish before learning English.”

 

In “Ixcanul,” the sub-theme is migration. In Guatemala, young people want to emigrate to the United States for a better future and sometimes to save their lives, while older people stay.

This is not a movie about migration, but it has a strong connection to other great films on the subject: “La Jaula de Oro,” “El Norte,” “Sin Nombre,” “Buen Día, Ramón,” “Bread and Roses,” “A Better Life,” “Frozen River,” “Journey of Hope,” “In This World,” “Al otro lado,” “Under the Same Moon-La misma luna,” and this year’s Cannes Palm d’Or winner, Jacques Audiard’s “Dheepan.”

When their lives are at risk, the language barrier leaves them “Lost in Translation.”

 

In their community, everyone speaks Mayan, but in the big city, no one else does. Ignacio is the only bilingual person, translating only what suits him, betraying his own people.

 

The transcendence of “Ixcanul” further connects community, family values, hard-working people, traditions, emotions, and beliefs. 

“Ixcanul” reflects the Guatemalan people’s hunger for justice. Maria and her Maya community deserve to be treated fairly.

 

It also depicts the poverty and oppression faced by indigenous communities, who are victims of abuse of authority by their own government. 

 

They deserve justice and respect from the rest of the world.

First-time writer/director Jayro Bustamante can maintain the same narrative style throughout the film, masterfully, without regret leaving out the melodramatic moments. 

Jayro Bustamante, director of Ixcanul, Guatemala. Photo by Jose A Hermosillo, Copyrights 2015 

Jayro does not portray Maria as a victim or a heroine—she is an intelligent girl who follows her instincts and tries to overcome adversity by believing in the value of life and, above all, in the truth, even though the price she pays for this valuable lesson is exceptionally high.

Jayro Bustamante, director of Ixcanul, Guatemala. Film critic Jose A Hermosillo, Copyrights 2015

An underlying biblical reference is evident: Maria is the Virgin Mary, El Pepe is a nickname for Jose or Joseph, Ignacio becomes Judas, and baby Jesus still needs to be found. 

The film also reflects, on a minor scale, the recent political turmoil in Guatemala, which has escalated rapidly to an unprecedented level in an effort to bring down the corrupt government. 

The Guatemala/France co-production won the Silver Bear in Berlin, the Blue Angel in Slovakia, the Best Ibero-American Film, and Best Director at the Guadalajara International Film Festival. More awards, including Oscar® and Golden Globe nominations, are expected, making “Ixcanul” the most awarded film in Guatemala’s history. 

 

“Ixcanul” is an impeccable work of art, marked by exceptional craft, extraordinary beauty, and an enduring story. 

 

The terrific performances make “Ixcanul” a strong contender among the five nominated films for Best Foreign Language this year.

 

“Ixcanul” was the best film at the Guadalajara International Film Festival in Los Angeles (FICG in LA). The beauty of this Guatemalan film kept us talking for a while after we saw it.

Ixcanul/Volcano, trailer

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Copyright © 2015 Festival in LA