
Thepanoramicshotsarebreathtaking:amajesticmountainlandscapeinwinter,flat-roofedtinshackscoweringnexttooneother,womenperchedonsteepslopesusingprimitivetoolstobreakthroughpiecesofrock.LaRinconadaissituatedover5,000metershighinthePeruvianAndes,ontheedgeofagoldmine.This21stcenturyElDoradoisaninhospitableplace,whereuntoldnumbersofpeopleliveandworkinthemostprecariousofconditions,hopingbothforgoldandabetterlife.SaloméLamashasconstructedacinematicdiptychtoconveytheextremityofthissituationandthedimensionsofitsmiserywithouthavingtoresorttographicimages.Whileanhour-longsingletakefromafixedcamerapositionshowsanendlessstreamofmineworkerstrudgingupanddownagarbage-linedpathdayandnight,voiceoversspeakofcold,hunger,poverty,dangertolifeandlimb,atrocitiesandlawlessness.Thesecondhalfofthefilmthenplaceshauntingobservationsofsomethinglikethenormalandtheeverydayalongsideallthis:chitchatwhilechewingcocaleaves,ritualsandsocialgatheringswithmusicanddancing.It’sonlythenthatthetrueeerinessofthesettingcomestolight.berlinale2016

