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KINEMATRIX First of all, I’d like to say that
I’m deeply interested in the culture of Peru. That’s why I’m writing a
thesis about the young Peruvians in the narrative of a Mario Vargas Llosa.
As you may know, this writer has dedicated a lot of his works to this issue
and has always pictured the youth as tough, difficult period in our life.
But, most of all, he writes about how hard it is to be a teenager in Peru in
particular. Now, I think the reality presented in your movie, PARAISO , has
a lot to do with the one that we can find in Vargas Llosa’s novels. Why do
you think growing up in Peru is so difficult?
Hector Galvez I’ve always thought this period is very complicated as
when you stop being a child, all the big questions are hunt you: what to do
with your life, which way to chose, etc. What makes it even more difficult
is that the kids live in rather poor families where they can’t just ask for
money. That’s why when they confront the true reality their shock is even
bigger. And that’s what I’ve found interesting and what I wanted to show.
The place where the main characters live, this PARAISO, whet is it
exactly? Suburbs of Lima? Is it a real district, does it exist?
H.G.: It’s a real district and it’s its real name: it’s
Paradiso (Eng.:
Paradise), what an irony,
isn’t it? It’s situated about an hour from the center of Lima and it was
built in the 80’s when some of the families had to escape from the political
violence.
Are the kids that play the main characters professional actors?
One girl is an actor, she has already worked with Claudia Llosa, the other
girl is a theatre actress and the rest, these three guys they aren’t actors,
I found them in various places in Peru. I decided that they should play in
my movie as their way of behaving, acting was pretty close to the profile of
characters I had on my mind.
And this running away with the circus that we witness at the end of your
movie, could it be interpreted like a salvation, like the only way of
escaping from PARAISO?
Some time ago I made a report about a family circus. There was a young boy
who wasn’t related with the family and who, like they told me, simply stayed
with them. He liked what they used to do, he decided to leave everything,
his life the way it was, and just join them. So does Joaquin. Although he
never participates in his friends’ discussions about their future plans, he
is the only one who decides what to do and what he chooses is something that
he really want to do and not what he’s obliged to. It’s like this: this is
what I like, what I find interesting so I’m going to do that. His friends
won’t be brave enough to oppose to their families’ and society’s
expectations, he’s going to be the only one who really leaves PARAISO. That
is why he is a kind of a hero, because he has no fear of following his
dreams.
And is a circus something typical of Peru, is it an important element of
your everyday reality?
You could say that the circus is a regular visitor in the outskirts. These
are the circus del barrio which give a comic show with clowns and jokes.
There are no lions, no spectacular performances, it’s just a kind of easy
entertainment. As you might see in the movie, this circus had already been
in PARAISO so it’s one of those that leave and then come back after visiting
many regions of Lima.
What films have inspired you or, should I say, what are your favorite
films, directors that you look up to?
I’m fan of the Brothers Dardenne. Also I adore the Italian neorealist
directors, like Visconti, Rosellini; there’s this famous film of Visconti,
in Spanish it is La Tierra Tiembla
(N.d.T,
LA TERRA TREMA) and it’s amazing. And from the Argentinian cinema there’s
Caetano whose latest movie is presented here in Venice…
Francia, yes, I saw it
Yes,
Francia, but there’s his another movie, a very important one, Bolivia
and this is the movie that I really love. It’sa brilliant movie!
It is, indeed. And what is your opinion about the Claudia Llosa’s movie
Madeinusa? In this film we
can witness the festival of sin and decadence which takes place during the
Easter: starts exactly on Good Friday when Christ died crucified and lasts
till the Easter Sunday when he rises again since the people of the Peruvian
village believe that everything is allowed while God is not watching. I’m
asking you about it as I believe this movie can really shock a lot of
people, including the most catholic countries.
Well, Claudia Llosa has a specific, particular style which ones like and
others don’t. In Madeinusa there’s a great dose of exaggeration, such things
definitely don’t happen in Peru, so don’t be afraid
Thanks God! At the end I’d like to come back to Vargas Llosa and ask you
about one thing that has to do with his most important novel Conversacion en
la Catedral.as there is this famous question: at what precise moment had
Peru fucked itself up? (org.: En que momento se habia jodido el Peru?).
Since the reality that you present in your movie is very tough and not very
optimistic, and we can notice that something just doesn’t work properly in
your country. So, I want to ask you the same question as Vargas Llosa did in
his novel.
Well, yes, it’s a famous question and, frankly speaking, nobody can answer
it (...). But I must say it’s not only Peru that is in such situation, it’s
the reality of all the countries of Latin America: some countries have more
money, others much less, there’s this problem of discrimination…
... And “machismo”?
Yes, you got it from one of Vargas Llosa’s short
stories, "Cachorros", right?
Yes, from there as well. But, anyway, for me
your movie is a bit like an illustration of the reality that Vargas Llosa
writes about in some of his novels.
Well, I haven’t planed it let’s say consciously but it’s so nice being
compared to Vargas Llosa, thank you.
You’re welcome.
(…)
Thank you for this interesting interview.
No, thank YOU.
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