Familia

The main characters of Mikael Wiström and Alberto Herskovits's documentary are the members of a poor Peruvian family. Even though they no longer have to live in a temporary wooden dwelling right next to a dump, and Daniel, the father, goes out to work every day to earn a living on his motorbike taxi, there still isn't enough money to pay for a quality school for their young son. That's why his 55-year-old mother Naty decides to leave for Spain to find work, thereby ensuring a better future for her family. This highly sensitive film develops the double plot line of Naty's lonely life in unknown surroundings as a hotel maid and the life of the family she left behind. The filmmakers have succeeded in immersing themselves in the inner lives of the individual family members, and the result is an unostentatious portrait which convincingly depicts the full range of their emotions. Subtle music and outstanding camerawork add to the film's emotional power, as do aptly incorporated black-and-white snapshots from their family album. Familia won the best documentary prize at last year's Karlovy Vary film festival. (One World)