Peru at the Movies: No Se Lo Digas A Nadie
April 26, 2010
Ali Ryder presents the second in a new series of articles, Peru at the Movies. Did you know there are dozens of films that either take place in or heavily feature Peru? Some are locally produced by Peru’s independent film industry, some are products of Hollywood, but each in some way revolves around the very special country that is Peru. Get planning your Peruvian movie nights!
No Se Lo Digas a Nadie, 1998
By Ali Ryder
The movie of the week is called No Se Lo Digas a Nadie, which means “Don’t Tell Anyone.” It’s a movie by a Peruvian director based on a book written by a Peruvian personality (Jaime Bayly) not all too different from the central character, so it is very authentic. It tells the story of the early adulthood of a gay upper-class Peruvian man, Joaquin, who struggles to live up to everyone’s expectations and to come to terms with his own desires. His father constantly tries to teach his son to “man up” by taking him hunting; his girlfriend, to whom he confesses that he likes men, insists that she will be able to “fix him”; and other gay men that he meets don’t want the same things as he does. Joaquin is driven to drugs and alcohol in order to cope with his reality and feels that he needs to escape from the hell that is Lima.
No Se Lo Digas A Nadie is a challenging drama about homosexuality in Peru, where the culture of machismo is so prevalent that a character points out that “it’s better to be retarded than gay.” The story is well told and the script is excellent. Although the plot is not completely original, the fact that it is told from an authentically Peruvian perspective makes it a movie definitely worth watching, especially for someone who is looking to better understand Lima.
Read reviews and a detailed plot line here.
Shopping Secrets of Cusco
Sweating It Out in the Sacred Valley
Gosh, it’s been ages since I saw that movie when it was released. I must say, nevertheless, that not all fathers and girlfriends in Lima are like that. There seems to be more acceptance of homosexuality in Lima these days, even if it still doesn’t compare to how accepted it is in other countries such as the UK. It’d be sad if a non-Peruvian thought everyone was like that in Peru.
Talk about culture shock the first time I saw this movie! Mala Educacion (Bad Education) takes on the same them.
I’m told that Bayly alludes to real life Peruvian personalities in this book/movie.