Altiplano is a 2009 Peruvian-Belgian drama film by Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth, starring Magaly Solier, Jasmin Tabatabai, and Olivier Gourmet. It takes places on three continents in five different languages. It tells the stories of two women in mourning and how their destinies merge.
| Altiplano | |
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| Cinematography | Francisco Gózon |
| Edited by | Nico Leunen |
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Release date |
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Running time | 109 minutes |
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Production and background
editShooting took place at locations in Belgium and Peru for 43 days, between June and October 2008. Because of extreme weather conditions at an altitude of 5,000 metres in the Peruvian Andes, the cast and crew had access to a medical team 24 hours a day.[1]
Although the film is fictional, it is inspired by true events that took place in the year 2000 a Peruvian village of Choropampa District. Furthermore, some characters, like Saturnina and Max, are also based on reports and anecdotes of local villagers and foreign doctors.[2][3]
Plot
editPhotographer Grace is devastated after being forced to take a picture of the killing of her guide in Iraq. Back in Belgium, she withdraws the picture after it had already been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Her husband Max is an oculist and leaves to work at an eye clinic in the Andes in Peru. A local mine spills mercury, causing many people of the nearby village of Turubamba to succumb to illness. Max and his fellow physicians suspect toxins to be the reason for the affliction. They decide to collect more data in Turubamba.
Meanwhile, Saturnina, a young woman from the village loses her fiancé to the contamination. Upon the physicians' arrival, Saturnina's fiancé's mother angrily rejects the doctors' request to examine the body. The villagers turn their rage on the doctors and stone Max to death. Saturnina leads an unsuccessful demonstration against the mine's truck drivers. After the mine's closure, Saturnina commits suicide by drinking mercury and films her death on the camera Max had dropped when he was killed.
Grace sets out on a journey to the place of Max's death. Saturnina's mother welcomes her and offers hospitality. Grace watches the video made by Saturnina. In the end, she partakes in Saturnina's funeral and finally ends her mourning over her husband.
Cast
edit- Magaly Solier as Saturnina
- Jasmin Tabatabai as Grace
- Olivier Gourmet as Max
- Behi Djanati Atai as Sami
- Edgar Condori as Nilo/Omar
- Sonia Loaiza as mother
- Edgar Quispe as Ignacio
- Norma Martinez as female doctor
- Rodolfo Rodríguez as Raúl
Reception and awards
editThe film has garnered mainly positive responses[4][5][6] and was well-received at the Critics' Week in Cannes.[7]
Altiplano was nominated for two Magritte Awards in the category of Best Film in Coproduction and Best Costume Design for Christophe Pidre and Florence Scholtes, in 2011.[8]
It has also won a number of independent film awards:
- Bangkok International Film Festival 2009: Special Golden Kinnaree Award for Environmental Awareness[9]
- Festival Film Europeen de Virton 2009: Prize of the City Virton[citation needed]
- Lucania Film Festival 2010: Best Feature Film [10]
- Festival de Cinema de Avanca 2010: Best Feature Film [11]
- Festival de Cinema de Avanca 2010: Best Actress for Magaly Solier[citation needed]
- International Film Festival Tofifest 2010: Special Jury Award[12]
References
edit- ^ "Press Release by First Run Features" (PDF). bandits-movie.com. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ "Altiplano". altiplano.info. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (19 August 2010). "Culture Collisions in the Andes". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 October 2023.(subscription required)
- ^ "Film critics". Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
- ^ "Film Series and Movie Listings". The New York Times. 26 August 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2023.(subscription required)
- ^ Thomas, Kevin (1 October 2010). "Movie review: 'Altiplano'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (20 May 2009). "Life and death in Altiplano". Cineuropa. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ Engelen, Aurore (14 January 2011). "Magritte Awards shine spotlight on Belgian Francophone cinema". Cineuropa. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- ^ Bangkok Film Festival 2009
- ^ Lucania Film Festival
- ^ "European Independent Film Festival". Archived from the original on 16 August 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ Tofifest Poland