Tinta roja

Tabloid journalism is the theme of this movie. The news in El Clamor, the Peruvian newspaper that is at the center of the story, wants to entertain its readers by presenting stories in such a way that the average person in the street can identify with what is being reported. Never mind the tragedies behind the stories these items in the paper mean for the families of the crime victims, or other unfortunate people that appear in the pages of the tabloid.

Francisco Lombardi, whose work we have admired in other films before, shows why he is one of the best Peruvian, or even Latin American, directors. "Tinta roja" is the other side of the coin for serious news reporting. This newspaper wants to be on a class by itself by printing and showing in its pages the sensational stories that serves as an escape for the masses, as anyone the average citizen feels lucky being alive after reading about the tragedies in the paper.

Alfonso and Nadia are interns that are assigned to El Clamor in order to fulfill an academic part of their journalism course at the university. Nadia tricks Alfonso in asking to be assigned to the entertainment section and the young man is told to report to the crime desk. This department is dominated by the larger than life Faundez, a legend in Lima for the way he grinds his stories, embellishing them as he goes along. Faundez sees in the young man a rival and gives him a hard time because of the inexperience.

Faundez is a complex character that even his close associates cannot understand. While carrying on with his drinking and womanizing, his own private life is hidden from his colleagues. Alfonso, who has been abandoned by his father at an early age, discovers by chance that Faundez has a son who is mentally challenged. Alfonso and Faundez come to a confrontation at the end of the film as the young reporter writes an expose on his own father, who has been involved in a criminal scheme. The older man reminds Alfonso, at the end, that he rewrote the story out of decency, as he reminds the young man how he had no consideration when he reported Faundez's own tragedy in the pages of El Clamor and showed him no pity, or consideration.

The film's most memorable character, Faundez, the ruthless crime editor, is played with great panache by Gianfranco Brero, who has already collaborated with Mr. Lombardi in other films. Alfonso is portrayed by Giovanni Ciccia, whose take on the intern feels right. The beautiful Lucia Jimenez is seen as Nadia. Yvonne Frayssinet is excellent as Roxana.

"Tinta roja" is a wonderful movie that shows a mature Francisco Lombardi at his best.

The story evolves around Alfonso who signs on at a seedy tabloid newspaper, where he is assigned the police round. His initial horror at his colleagues' practices, both professional and personal, diminishes as he discovers their endearing and even admirable qualities. He develops a fondness for his boss which gradually blinds him to the squalor and amorality of tabloid journalism, until events provide a rude reminder.

This film gives you an insight of the real world and journalism. The actors are all great in their own ways especially Giovanni Ciccia who plays the lead character of Alfonso. He's very convincing, starting off as a humble, sensitive man and turning more like his boss, Faundez, played by the fantastic Gianfranco Brero. His quick tongue rude remarks usually with the word "f**k" are the funniest moments in the film.

Highly Recommended. This film deserves an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film...It's a pity it didn't even get nominated!

8 / 10

This is a film by Lombardi who is the only film director from Peru to be internationally recognized at this moment. He achieved a great success bringing 'La Ciudad y los Perros' ( The City and the dogs, by Vargas Llosa) to the screen in mid 1980's. The story is about the life in a Peruvian military school where teenagers are trained to be the tough one. Needless to say it's full of violence, but also very interesting. From then on he continued to film stories on Lima's life (or Peru), usually from Peruvian novels. In 1994 shot 'Sin compasión' based upon Dostoievski's 'Crime and Punishment' but it lacked the strength that his latest film is full of. 'Tinta roja' begins with a couple of young journalist diplomates who had just finished College and need to practise to fulfill the requirements to work. They're Nadia (Lucía Jiménez, see her in 'Silencio Roto' or 'Bajo la piel') and Alfonso (Giovanni Ciccia). Both of them want to be in Social or Shows or Cultural department but when they meet the Director of the newspaper (which is 100% sensationalist) she gets the first election while he must go to the 'red reports' that's about blood (accidents, killings, suicides, kidnappings and everything related to passion and human most primitive feelings). Faúndez (Gianfranco Brero) is the old, cynical, intelligent journalist that'll take care of Alfonso. Alfonso doesn't like him and Faúndez doesn't like him either. Each one has a reason. Alfonso wants to be a writer (say a novelist) and has a kind of ' manual for young writers ' by Vargas Llosa always at hand, but he studied Journalism because of his mother and aunt (his father gave them up when he was a little child) and there's no place to learn how to be a novelist. So he prefers Society news as an easier way to accomplish the practices. Faúndez doesn't like Alfonso for they same reasons, the young one doesn't want to be a journalist and least of all a reporter on blood events. They start working, wandering around Lima in a white van with a driver (Van Gogh, Carlos Gassols) that has a quote for any situation and young Escalona (Fele Martínez, see him in Thesis)the photographer, almost mute. After some days of work the conflict between Alfonso and Faúndez fades away (sort of) and the gap between Alfonso and her girlfriend (not as much as he'd like to) Nadia grows. And the story goes but here I stop 'cos you must find out the film for yourself.

Some comments:

The story is full of humour (dialogues are great), which can make the facts bearable (and even more believable).If it wasn't this way you could get tired of crimes and deaths and lose some interest on the plot. Anyway it's more the kind of humour of 'Amores perros' than Tarantino's.One of the funniest scenes is when a gorgeous girl (yvonne Frayssinet, Roxana) brought by Faúndez to make him forget Nadia, rubs his crotch with her barefoot (pink nails) while answering 'I'm a podologist' to the question 'What do you work in? (all this happens sitting on a table in a bar).

The cast is perfect, specially Gianfranco Brero and Carlos Gassols.

I love Lima's (or Peruvian) accent! Even beggars talk like princes.

In spite of the names all actors and actresses are from Peru (save for Fele Martínez and Lucía Jiménez, oth from Spain) as long as I know.

I strongly recommend this film (even if you can't enjoy the original dialogues) for both the argument, actors work and Lombardi's direction. The whole thing is a highly interesting depiction on Peru nowadays.

I give it a 8/10.

What a great film. It´s very interesting to see how great almost unknown films are so well done. Sometimes people don´t care about this type of films but some of them are very good. This is a great example. Peruvian films are excellent and soon we´ll be able of watching them in competition at the academy awards for best foreign language film. This film has a great plot, powerful performances and everything a great film is all about. Try to find it now and you wont regret.