By Roger Costa
BLANQUITA
Chilean Director Fernando Guzzoni strikes back with another timely and scandalous take on youth delinquency. The director made the headlines a few years back with “Jesus”, and now turns his lenses to a loosely based adaptation on Chile’s most notorious sexual abuse scandals, a case involving children, teens, politicians, doctors and priests that stirred up the country. Taking that as a premise, Guzzoni perceptively follows the attempts of a priest in re-establishing kids back to society, serving as a social worker for minors in criminal situations. He is determined to punish those responsible for raping Blanca, a young girl who claims she was abducted and abused for over a year by a respected Senator. They battle the odds in order to prove their story, while a dangerous, intriguing net of lies, betrayal and economic clashes surge throughout their journey. Suspenseful, enigmatic, complex and subversive, this Venice’s Horizon Award Winner for Best Screenplay is an intensely crafted, superbly performed and investigative drama that announces Guzzoni as a major voice in Latin American Cinema.
(Outsider Pictures. 12/9. Cinema Village).
HIDDEN LETTERS
Following the determination and devotion of two modern Chinese women on preserving the centuries-long written-art known as Nushu, this poignant documentary shines a light on a humanitarian art that is sadly fading away with the rush and evolution of our times. Created in the past by a group of women trying to escape the male dominance and prejudice against them, Nushu is a secretive, hard-to-decipher and deeply melancholic singing literature that describes their oppressive relationships, struggle, suffering, experiences and yearning for freedom, equality and respect. Winner of the Best Documentary Award at various festivals, including Nordic Docs, Hot Springs, Heartland, Bergen and Austin Asian American Film Festival, the narrative splits in time and place, between past, present, remote villages and mega cities to explore the impacts promoted by Nushu and its legacy. Observing how modern society, institutions, history and politics react to the testimonies and lessons left by their ancestors, directors Violet Du Feng and Qing Zhao pierces together a sensitive, dynamic and accurate account on the never-ending battle of Chinese women in pursuit of a safe ground. A high-class experience about the importance of cultural tradition and the power of female collaborative work.
(Cargo Film & Releasing. 12/9. Quad Cinema).
CHILDREN OF THE MIST
A remarkably unique and immersive documentary that gets total access to the lives of a family, as they wait for the right moment to let their daughters go and start their own lives as wives. Honest, heartbreaking and revelatory, it extracts powerful confidentialities from its children subjects, as they analyze their options for the future, while capturing splendorous moments of genuine human connection. Winner of the Best Directing Award at IDFA, Vietnamese documentarian Diem Ha Le offers a powerful and unforgettable look at an unknown culture and its traditions, as well as a magnificent, hauntingly shot meditation on the human condition longing for a soulmate.
(Film Movement. 12/16. Firehouse Cinema).
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