sydney film festival - let's catch a few while in town
this one from guatemala and featuring native mayans
a promise of an 'entirely engrossing sensory experience'
that'll do - never been to guatemala - virtually or otherwise
opening scenes - from the poster - a young girl being dressed
pigs seen being primed with alcohol to assist in the mating game
the same young girl (maria) being clumsily kissed by her friend pepe
this as they are at work in the coffee plantation the family is living on
a confronting scene of a pigs throat being cut and then dismembered
maria is looking on - nothing said but her sadness permeates anyway
i take it as a bit of a challenge - you want a snapshot of peasant life?
maria's mother is seen preparing a meal for some important visitors
she has been betrothed to ignacio - the supervisor of the plantation
he and his parents arrive to discuss the arrangement oblivious to her
is maria a good housekeeper? can she cook? does she love ignacio?
he is much older and already divorced - but his position is very useful
a guarantee they would be able to stay on the property - the deal is sealed
he has to travel to the city for work so the ceremony planned for his return
life on the plantation is tenuous - an infestation of lethal snakes is a problem
making planting and harvesting of the coffee crop difficult if not impossible
maria and her mother seen then making petrol bombs and burning the land
the father seems to be useless - talks the doom but of little practical help
a sad scene of maria lying awake as her parents make love next to her
her one escape seems to be hanging out with friends at a makeshift bar
pepe also there and on one night drinks too much and rough sex follows
maria obliging but asking him to not come inside her - but to no avail
she falls pregnant - eventually her mother finds out and is sympathetic
but abortion is the only choice as it is important ignacio is not aware
they try various crude condiments and exercises to get rid of the baby
maria seen rock-jumping amongst smouldering ash from the volcano
a belief also that snakes will scamper from a woman bearing a child
so maria enters the plantation - only for her to suffer a bad snakebite
her parents then man-handling her down the mountain to get help
with ignacio to the rescue - they pile into the back of his open truck
mother juana wailing and cradling her now unconscious daughter
the busy streets of guatemala city providing a contrasting backdrop
a hospital is found but language is now a problem to be overcome
the native mayans are a minority group and do not speak spanish
but the message gets across and maria is then taken into a theatre
she is saved but the baby is lost - a form is presented to be signed
with that a promise of a government funded coffin for the dead baby
juana forces her sleeping daughter to place a thumbprint on the form
and back in the country the villagers gather for a funeral and burial
maria is distraught of course and her parents are more circumspect
with suspicions aroused maria digs up the coffin - inside is a brick
back to the hospital to determine what happened to maria's baby
but no use - the form has been signed and they are mere peasants
and so full circle - we then see maria being dressed for marriage
the end - a simple but sad story in an exotic but hostile setting
there's a lot on offer - significantly the 3 central characters
a young girl forced to grow up quickly and unnaturally
a mother providing her unconditional love and support
a father also loving his daughter but of very little use
all of them struggling with the modernities of life
so in a sense a parable of life in general for many
not as engrossing as promised but still good to see...
