Abstract
This article focuses on two debut works of cinema that were released within a few months of each other shortly after the turn of the century and which offer quite different modes of representation of the 'dirty war' that devastated Peru for two decades before that: Paloma de Papel (Fabrizio Aguilar 2003) and Dias de Santiago (Josue Mendez 2004). It sets out a critical analysis of the cinematic treatment of the violence of terror as imagined via their film-makers and reflects upon their critical and commercial reception in Peru and beyond. It seeks to refute the accusations of neglect on the part of film-makers from some journalists and politicians by highlighting the ongoing importance of the period, its events and consequences for cinema in and of Peru. Moreover it explores the extent to which individual films, and cinema as a collective practice, play a key role in harnessing the potential for testimony and triggering debate about cultural and historical heterogeneity. In the final analysis, I argue that fiction cinema continues to play an influential and controversial role in shaping a sense of collective identity in nations such as Peru that are in the process of 'crystallization' and that have suffered recent trauma. I contend that so-called 'national' films (those supported to a certain degree by the State) remain vital in their provision of diverse representations of landmark events of national concern that draw attention to the fractured and fragmented nature of such experiences, emphasising the persistence of division at every level.
Highlights
In May 1980, just as the Peruvian nation returned officially to democracy after twelve years of military rule, a splinter group of the national pro-Chinese Communist Party, Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), broke into a polling station in the region of Ayacucho and destroyed the ballot boxes there
Paloma de Papel/Paper Dove was the first film for ten years to have been produced in Peru, with the support of national funding schemes, to take the political violence between the Shining Path and the military as its explicit subject matter
While the most prevalent topical theme of Paper Dove is clearly the effect of political violence on a ‘typical’ Andean community, and on its children in particular, its main perennial concern is to some extent shared with Méndez’s film – both are coming-of-age tales recounted from the point of view of a young man at a time of personal, political and social crisis
Summary
In May 1980, just as the Peruvian nation returned officially to democracy after twelve years of military rule, a splinter group of the national pro-Chinese Communist Party, Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), broke into a polling station in the region of Ayacucho and destroyed the ballot boxes there. 1 This article is part of a broader project on violence and identities in Peruvian fiction cinema, with specific reference to the interplay between the Shining Path conflict and national film policy.
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