Madeinusa (2006)

Directed by: Claudia Llosa | 100 minutes | drama | Actors: Magaly Solier, Yiliana Chong, Carlos Juan De La Torre, Juan Ubaldo Huaman

Between Good Friday and Easter, God is dead and does not see what is happening. In these days all is lawful; there are no sins and no one has to worry about his actions because God will never know. These days are referred to in the film as Tiempo Santo, the most important festival of the mountain village where Madeinusa lives. To a layman this may sound like a plausible Catholic ritual, but nothing could be further from the truth: the feast and all rituals come entirely from the fantasy of Claudia Llosa. The young director grew up in Lima, but has lived and worked in Barcelona for years.

Madeinusa is the daughter of the mayor of the village and lives with him and her sister in a small house. Her father finds it normal to lie between them and finds it difficult to keep his hands to himself. Madeinusa tries to keep her father from her, by emphasizing that she wants to keep her virginity. She is afraid that her father will want to deflower her during the upcoming Tiempo Santo. Then by chance the young Salvador from Lima comes to visit the village, and he becomes fascinated by the festivities and the people of the village. Madeinusa, in turn, becomes interested in this boy from the big city. This is also because she believes that her mother, who once left them, left for Lima. She hopes that Salvador will truly be her ‘saviour’, taking her with him when he returns to the city.

Everything is beautifully displayed: the people themselves, the clothing, the jewelry and the houses. So beautiful that you sometimes think you are watching a documentary, while everything has been thought out in detail and designed. It is therefore difficult to determine to what extent the events and the people have been portrayed realistically. Because the Indian community is so little portrayed in the media, you as a viewer run the risk of taking everything for granted. And ultimately the film is not very positive about the Indians; alcoholism, incest, jealousy and closedness predominate.

Madeinusa seems to want to get out of here and follow her ideal of a modern life full of beautiful things (and without a violent, sex-crazed father). Her interpretation of ‘Western’ society is typical of the theme of the mixing of different cultures. The name Madeinusa is a good example of this, and perhaps only becomes clear when Madeinusa sees ‘her’ name in the label of Salvador’s t-shirt. As a viewer you can remain a bit critical about the image, but the beautiful staging, the good acting and the original setting make up for a lot.