Empire (UK)

SONG WITHOUT A NAME

- IF

★★★★

OUT 22 FEBRUARY (DIGITAL) / CERT 12A / 97 MINS

DIRECTOR Melina León

CAST Pamela Mendoza, Tommy Párraga

Song Without A Name, Peru’s entry for this year’s Oscars, is a belter. In 1980s Peru, new mum Geo (Pamela Mendoza) sees her baby stolen from a maternity clinic set up as a front for a child-traffickin­g racket. Getting little help from official channels, Geo turns to young journalist Pedro (Tommy Párraga) to track down her newborn. Writer/director Melina León’s debut delivers on the promise of the set-up — a gripping investigat­ion — but layers on different textures, from documentar­y realism to nightmaris­h visions set against a backdrop of traditiona­l Peruvian village culture. It’s shot in mesmeric monochrome Academy ratio, which lends the film a stunning dreamlike quality, a stark contrast to Mendoza, who makes Geo’s pain all so real.

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