Peru 1988. From a distance, we observe Georgina (Pamela Mendoza), husband-to-be Leo (Lucio Rojas), and their wedding cortege making its way to the church. They’re positioned at the bottom of the concrete landscape, as if the weight of Lima rested on their backs: freshly minted filmmaker Melina León proves herself to be a first-string stylist, skilled at the art of drawing a viewer’s eye to the precise spot in the frame where the pertinent information dwells. A radio ad lures pregnant Geo to a free clinic run by a skilled team of baby-nappers. The police have more urgent matters to prioritize than a missing infant, so Geo takes the next best step. We live in a world where the only time the word “news” is spoken is when the word “fake” precedes it. No matter: enter Pedro (Tommy Párraga), a cross-checking journalist who is the first to respond to Geo’s cry of “My child was stolen” when she shows up at the paper. If the subject matter turns you off, approach the film as two genre pictures for the price of one — a haunting woman’s melodrama and a daunting police procedural, both of which are granted equal weight and steeped in the dignity of self-respect. (2019) — Scott Marks
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