Retablo (2017)

Directed by: Alvaro Delgado Aparicio | 101 minutes | drama | Actors: Junior Bejar, Amiel Cayo, Magaly Solier, Mauro Chuchon, Ubaldo Huamán, Hermelinda Luján, Ricardo Bromley López, Claudia Solís

Fourteen-year-old Segundo Paucar lives with his parents Noé and Anatolia in a simple hut in the Andes in Peru. His father is his biggest idol and the boy can’t wait to follow in his footsteps. Noé is a talented maker of retablos: boxes with doors like a house, in which clay figurines imitate a certain family situation. Segundo and Noé are widely loved in the area: the retablos are in great demand on the market (partly thanks to tourism) and private orders are also pouring in. Although Segundo doesn’t say much, you can see that he enjoys the business trips with his father.

The fact that Segundo’s position in the mountain village is quite unique is quickly apparent from the first meeting with his friend Mardonio, who has very different plans for the future than the traditional, artistic profession that Segundo will practice. These young people have no other option as a farmer. It’s not the only point where the introverted Segundo stands out from his friend: while he prefers to keep quiet his fledgling infatuation for the beautiful Felícita, a fruit and vegetable seller, Mardonio seizes every opportunity to boast about his sexual plans and it comes word respect for the female sex is not in his vocabulary.

During one of the journeys, however, Segundo discovers something that puts his father in a completely different light. Shocked, the teenager tries to process what he has seen. He does this by withdrawing even more and defending himself against any overtures by anyone. Especially his concerned mother, who immediately realizes that something is wrong, has to suffer.

‘Retablo’ is beautifully photographed. With great respect for Noé’s profession, we see in detail how the retablos are created. The landscape also comes into its own, with idyllic stone houses that almost seem to disappear among herds of sheep and rocks. Funny find is that the framing is sometimes reminiscent of the retablos, which play such a major role in the film. Lovers of South American culture will also enjoy the clothing, the customs and some fragments in which the Peruvian culture is expressed.

The actors are all superb. The love between father and son is touchingly real, and Magaly Solier as Anatolia also plays a moving role. ‘Retablo’ is an impressive film about macho culture, homophobia and the endless love between a father and son.