Not playing with a full deck
Chicha tu Madre
Shuffle through the colourful streets of Peru with Melbourne Filmoteca.
Born in Peru into a Swiss family, director Gianfranco Quattrini was raised in Chicago yet became a filmmaker in Argentina where he currently resides. Following his award-winning medium-length film Bosques (2005), Quattrini returned to his native Peru to make his first feature film Chicha tu Madre (unclassified 18+), an authentic look at Peruvian suburban life from the vantage point of a taxi driver.
Julio Cesar (charmingly played by Jesús Aranda) drifts aimlessly through life behind the wheel of his taxi, but comes to a crossroads when he learns that his teenage daughter Yoselin (Maricarmen Valencia) is pregnant. Cesar decides to abandon his taxi and adopt a new vocation: that of a tarot reader, in the hope of mastering his own destiny.
Seeking salvation he looks further afield, placing his faith in some shady characters: a tarot 'maestro', a fledgling prostitute, a mysterious Argentine nurse and a second league football team. By following the wisdom of the cards to lead the way for him, Cesar stumbles through the hazardous and frantic streets of Lima.
Despite the cards, Cesar finds that his future is still unclear and muddy. He twists and turns to a chaotic end with a busload of Peruvians all headed for Buenos Aires where director Gianfranco Quattrini promises to unravel the second part of this planned filmic trilogy.
Chicha tu Madre is an informal take on life in Lima today, portraying the colourfully complex 'Chicha' culture where resourceful thinking - the kind that involves constant wheeling, dealing and negotiation - is necessary for survival. 'Chicha' is a Peruvian word that loosely translated means 'kitsch' or 'tacky'. It refers particularly to the appropriation of foreign influences bringing about a somewhat messy hybrid of cultural expression. Lima's shanty suburbs are a melting pot for Quattrini's characters who have a rueful but affectionate disdain for home.
Curated by Melbourne Filmoteca.
For full screening details click here
Published Monday, 22 June 2009
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