''Reminiscencias'' is a 2010 Peruvian experimental documentary film written, produced, and directed by Juan Daniel Fernández Molero.

Background

Juan Daniel F. Molero recovered from a bout of amnesia incurred as a result of a sandboarding accident by reviewing home video footage shot by himself, his father, and his grandfather in various formats. He subsequently took the old and new footage and created a feature film of the events, with one-third of the final film recorded just after the accident. Using a "chaotic" editing technique which combined footage from SVHS-C, MiniDV tapes, cellphone videos and an 8mm home movie archive, the 84-minute film simulates the amnesia and recovery by Molero in 2009.

Synopsis

''Reminiscencias'' deals with the creation and loss of memory and identity though an autobiographic exploration based on the filmmaker's own 2009 instance of amnesia. Molero had to use home movies shot by his father and grandfather, as well as digital footage shot by himself and video clips from his cell phone to determine his own past and find his identity.

Reception

'' Indiewire'' observed that while "many avant-garde films feel derivative", Molero's was an original, in that its "combination of abstractions and concrete reality--achingly gorgeous and poignant--is unique." They also offered that the film was a "singular observation of life in Peru", shown through its interviews of indigenous Peruvian people, the filmmaker's "observations of life in urban Lima", and his offering of Peru's natural settings.

Release

The film first screened in a shorter version in April 2009 at the 'Centro Cultural Cafae', and in May 2009, at Universidad Cayetano Heredia and Universidad Tecnológica del Perú in

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

, and then on July 3, 2009, at the Peruvian Cultural Center hosted by the 'Comité de Administración del Fondo de Asistencia' as part of a 10-film retrospective of Molero's earlier works. When interviewed, he explained that a longer version was forthcoming. The film's longer version screened at the 25th annual

Guadalajara Film Festival The Guadalajara International Film Festival () is a week-long film festival held each March in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Guadalajara since 1986. The presence in Guadalajara of delegates from other important festivals from around t ...

in March 2010, and at the

Marseille Festival of Documentary Film FIDMarseille (Festival international de cinéma de Marseille) is an international film festival held annually in Marseille, France. History The festival began in 1989 and was previously known as the Marseille Festival of Documentary Film. Pro ...

. In 2011, it screened at the

Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema The Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (BAFICI, ) is an international festival of independent films organized each year in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. History The festival had its first edition in April 1999 and i ...

in April, and will have its United States premiere at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on December 19, 2011.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reminiscences 2010 films 2010s Spanish-language films 2010s English-language films 2010s Peruvian films Quechua-language films 2010s avant-garde and experimental films Autobiographical documentary films 2010s biographical films 2010 independent films Documentary films about amnesia Peruvian documentary films 2010 documentary films English-language documentary films English-language independent films English-language biographical films