At times of political strife, how can one seek justice? Song Without a Name could have presented its case in a straightforward biopic. Inspired by her journalist father’s story, writer-director Melina León could have presented a hard-hitting docudrama that celebrated the smart journalists who brought the traffickers to justice. However, León doesn’t do that. She focuses instead on Georgina, the indigenous mother who lost her child. Her journey is beautifully shot in vignetted black-and-white, but the images and the lullabies she sings are striking, haunting reminders of what was lost, even as the traffickers get imprisoned. Song Without a Name remembers how this injustice was only half resolved.
"Earthy with social detail from a despairing period of Peru's recent history, it's also shot, scored and styled like the most beautiful of bad dreams."
— Guy Lodge
Peru, at the height of the political crisis of the 1980s. Georgina is a young woman from the Andes whose newborn daughter is stolen at a fake health clinic. Her desperate search for the child leads her to the headquarters of a major newspaper, where she meets Pedro Campos, a lonely journalist who takes on the investigation. Based on a true story.
Peru, 1988. After losing her newborn daughter at a fake health clinic, indigenous mother Georgina seeks help from lonely journalist Pedro Campos, who works for a major newspaper.
The approach. Some viewers won’t appreciate the slow, meditative way the film captures this topic, but the film achieves what it sets out to do, which is to remember the grief of the children still missing.
As per writing, it’s nearly half a century since the real case. It’s heartbreaking to think about it.
Cannes
1 nomination
Goya Awards
1 nomination
