Here in Peru, documentaries are rare in our theatres; Peruvian docos, even more so. The fact that two of them are getting released this week is quite an event.
Read more about them -- and watch the trailers -- below.
First up is Avenida Larco, director Antonio Rodríguez’s tribute to local prog rock band Frágil, who first appeared at the end of the 1970s and have since become a benchmark in Peruvian rock music.
This was mostly due to the title song, which perfectly captured the night life of Larco Avenue, located in the suburb of Miraflores. Nowadays, it’s considered a classic, one of those instantly recognizable tunes you know by heart.
The band are more than one hit song, though, and Rodríguez brought together founding members Tavo Castillo (keyboards), Luis Valderrama (guitar) and César Bustamante (bass), along with their on-again, off-again vocalist Andrés Dulude for an exhaustive, two-hour plus look at their 40-year career, one that has involved many lineup changes and five albums. It’s a respectful tribute to a band that’s still going strong.
Watch the trailer below:
Bonus! The 1980 video for the song Avenida Larco:
Poster for Avenida Larco.
The second documentary out this week is Daughter of the Lake (Hija de la Laguna) from director Ernesto Cabellos. It’s the story of Nélida, an activist from the Andes who claims to commune with the forces of nature. A mining company wishes to exploit the gold deposits underneath the lakes in her village, which threatens to cut off the locals’ water supply. Nélida becomes an important part of this struggle against exploiting natural resources.
The theme of mining companies and their effects on local communities has run through most of Cabellos’ work. He previously filmed the documentaries Choropampa (2002) and Tambogrande (2009), which dealt with similar subject matter.
Daughter of the Lake made waves even before the release date was announced, after its trailer broke the record of most visits on YouTube for a Peruvian movie, even beating out the comedy Asu Mare and its sequel, currently the highest grossing local films of all time.
