After seeing 'La llorona', the Guatemalan submission for the upcoming foreign language Oscar, I decided to check out 'Nuestras Madres', which hit the cinemas earlier this year. Both films have the same subject: the aftermath of the cruel civil war in Guatemala. 'Nuestras Madres' was submitted for the Oscars last year by Belgium. This is the country where Guatemala-born director Cesar Diaz lives after he moved there as a student.
'Nuestras Madres' didn't win an Oscar, but it did win numerous other awards. It tells the story about the civil war by showing the search of a young Guatemalan for his father, who died in the war. The young man is an investigator for the government, taking care of the remains of dead bodies found in mass graves throughout the country. This is shown by some strong scenes. The opening scene, for instance, shows a human skeleton being assembled. It is shot vertically down from high above, so that all emphasis is on the skeleton. Another highlight is the sequence of indigenous women in a remote village who are being interviewed by the investigator. Instead of showing the interviews, Diaz lets each woman gaze straight into the camera for a prolonged period. Their eyes and faces tell the story, instead of their words.
In between the stronger scenes, the story sometimes falls a bit flat. The cinematography is straightforward, and the screenplay could have benefited from a bit more spice. Only in the last part of the film, the story gets a boost from some authentic emotional moments that grip the viewer. Compared to 'La llorona', this is more of a conventional film, with sometimes a documentary feel to it. Both films try to shed light on a very disturbing period in Guatemalan history. They do it in different ways, so that they perfectly complement each other.
'Nuestras Madres' didn't win an Oscar, but it did win numerous other awards. It tells the story about the civil war by showing the search of a young Guatemalan for his father, who died in the war. The young man is an investigator for the government, taking care of the remains of dead bodies found in mass graves throughout the country. This is shown by some strong scenes. The opening scene, for instance, shows a human skeleton being assembled. It is shot vertically down from high above, so that all emphasis is on the skeleton. Another highlight is the sequence of indigenous women in a remote village who are being interviewed by the investigator. Instead of showing the interviews, Diaz lets each woman gaze straight into the camera for a prolonged period. Their eyes and faces tell the story, instead of their words.
In between the stronger scenes, the story sometimes falls a bit flat. The cinematography is straightforward, and the screenplay could have benefited from a bit more spice. Only in the last part of the film, the story gets a boost from some authentic emotional moments that grip the viewer. Compared to 'La llorona', this is more of a conventional film, with sometimes a documentary feel to it. Both films try to shed light on a very disturbing period in Guatemalan history. They do it in different ways, so that they perfectly complement each other.