Films: Postales

Postales

USA, 2010, 80 Minute Running Time
Additional Countries: Peru
Genre/Subjects: American Indie, Colorado, Coming of Age, Drama, Local, Romance
Programs: Contemporary World Cinema, New Directors Showcase, Spotlight on Colorado
Language: English, Spanish, Quechua English Subtitles

DIRECTOR: Josh Hyde
Producer: Dan Fischer, Maxim Holland, Claire Connelly, PJ Fishwick
Editor: Evan Smith, Josh Hyde
Screenwriter: Josh Hyde
Cinematographer: Dan Fischer
Principal Cast: Nadia Alexander, Guimel Soria Martinez, Alan Cuba, Megan Tusing, Ed Trucco, Annie Kozuch

Cultures collide in Colorado-based writer-director Josh Hyde’s charming feature-narrative debut, set in the Peruvian village of Cuzco. Although tourism keeps the tiny gateway to Machu Picchu alive, class tension between the poverty-stricken natives and wealthy vacationers often roils under the surface. Spitting on gringos is a nightly pastime for the local kids. And hustlers, like the ever-present dogs, roam the streets. 

Arriving here with her family, American pre-teen Mary is wide-eyed and eager to absorb all she can. But her parents and older sister have other ideas. Mary’s father has just bought land to build a hotel nearby; her neurotic mother would rather shop; and her wild sister just wants to party. On her first day in Peru, Mary meets Pablo, a streetwise kid who sells postcards on the plaza. The two form an instant connection. Pablo, however, has problems of its own. For one thing, his parents have just been evicted from their home to make way for the new hotel.

Hyde, the son of a Filipino mother and an American father, has always been interested in topics that bridge diverse cultures. In the documentary Despacho, also set in Cuzco, he compared indigenous shamanism with Western medicine. A few years later, Hyde returned yet again to Peru to film Chicle, a short version of Postales. In its full-length version, he crosses linguistic barriers by mixing English and Spanish dialogue with the vibrant music of Los Sospechos.
—JOEY PORCELLI

Sponsored by Argonaut Wine & Liquor, Colorado Creative Industries Division, Colorado Office of Film Television & Media

Sponsors:

Argonaut Wine & Liquor, E.&J. Gallo Winery

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