Madeinusa

When this movie was premiered in Lima, there was an outrage in the media. Polls were run and showed a deep and neat divide among public. Almost half of moviegoers would call it shameful, pitiful, racist trash,etc. The other half would congratulate the production, the effort, etc. Very little in between. There is an obvious theme of Magical Realism trough the movie. And with a good knowledge of the true people of the Andean country towns it is mighty obvious that the whole tale is a fantasy, that could be based on urban legends and cultural misunderstandings. But nothing else. It's just that many Peruvians resent the thought that anybody outside would think that all Peruvians are like those in the movie. The foreigner to Perú must understand that there is a whole parallel culture alive in the Andes, that has survived the westernization of the capital and most of the coast region. But its not what we see in this movie. Not at all.

This is a fantastic tale. A grim fable. And it is very Peruvian. Full of details, that are easy to spot for the local, but obscure and weird for the foreigner. And that is right on the spot for the story. Because the male lead, being "limeño", belongs to the "other culture" and doesn't know better. This movie does not pretend to be pedagogic, nor documentary material. And it touches very sensitive matters in very weird ways. It's wicked. But the exotic town is out of this world. The male lead in the movie walks the town like a stumbling Alice in Wickedland. And it is what it is.

If they ever do the Hollywood remake, it can be made with a town that looks like an Amish camp, or something out of the Little House in the Praire, with a catholic touch, and tell this very same story with little changes. That would look like one of those Twilight Zone movies. And be enjoyed by the fans of such kind of movies.

In my humble opinion, this movie is far better than The Milk of Sorrow, by the same director and with the same main female protagonist. I just think that it was ignored in its moment, but deserves a look.

Not for the religious sensitive anyway. Catholics beware, ye have been warned.

But if you want to know how the real Perú is, come and visit. :)

I can safely say that it was pretty difficult to follow the movie in the beginning, but man that ending was UNEXPECTED. Our main star MadeInUSA is a clever genius. MadeinUSA is a girl that got hurt by everyone. From her father to her sister. She tried to reach for HELP from Salvador, who REFUSED to help her when he could... So she made her way OUT from this hellhole, after being dug in for so long...

However, i do have some negatives with this movie: i don't think the singing scenes should of been as long as they were. Pretty sure we could of made that a bit shorter seems prolonged.

I see people calling this movie Racist; because our main star does not like its people that much. Can you blame her? Her father is an abusive monster, that is the major of the whole city, and nobody has done anything to help her.

For whatever reason this movie reminds me of the classic THE DEVILS. God has to watch us all the time.

A Peruvian misery fest, boringly and beautifully presented. Solid C.

Madeinusa is the story of a beautiful teenager who lives in a remote and small town, difficult to access. A place that preserves very peculiar traditions within a somber, unique and macabre community.

Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the annual ceremony, the most significant in the town. A young traveler arrives here who wants to document the celebration, a trip that will undoubtedly transform the destiny of its protagonists.

Set in the desert interior of Peru within a fictional community.

With excellent performances, careful photography and a bizarre aesthetic, the film is a well-achieved mix between the symbolism of Latin American magical realism and the suspense of American gore films, such as the 2000 maniacs (1964).

We have seen so many documentary films concerning Peru and it's people, that it is hard to realize that this is NOT a documentary and is a fictional piece of work, and has to be taken as such. It is not a mirror of reality. There are people, however, who do take it as reality, usually those people have deep racial complexes, and who can use the film as a way of saying, "I told you so", are regards the behaviour and customs of the villagers, as shown fictionally in the film. Of course, the film has taken it's main ideas from real customs, but have dressed them up, exploited them and blown them out of proportion. But that is what art is all about, and the film has to be taken as such, pure art.