There are films that, not being perfect, have some exceptional moments of cinematic wonder. Altiplano is one of those films. First of all, it's not for everyone. The film is actually a quite complex mix between fiction and documentary, which should't be a surprise considering it's the second feature film from Brosens and Woodworth, creators of Khadak, a film that also lies in this intriguing conception of cinema. But, unlike Khadak, Altiplano has a very strong and story oriented narrative, which is extremely good, since the constant allegorical images that the movie possesses are much more well timed and effective than in Khadak. Apart from the style issues, the movie is a intense journey in the fight between modernism and tradition, nature and city. I don't want to give away anything, because seeing this filme without any kind of expectations (storywise, that is) is the best way to enjoy it. Visually stunning, with a exceptional soundtrack, Altiplano is, despite his flaws, a movie that should be watched for anyone that likes cinema or, at least, original cinema. If you belong to that group, go see it. Don't expect action packed sequences, or determined heroes overcoming evil. Altiplano is about life. Slow, real, and unforgiving.A really good film with some brilliant moments. If you like cinema, take a chance on this one. It's worth it.
8 Reviews
An ordinary film which merges three different stories to speak about our world's sufferings.
FilmCriticLalitRao23 April 2013
It has been noticed that films which deal with multiple themes often fail to strike a chord in viewers' minds. It is due to the fact that while watching films,most viewers have a limited attention span which gets impaired when an endless array of plots and subplots is revealed.Belgian film "Altiplano" suffers enormously from this fate as the richness of its themes cause active viewers to question whether there is something which will tie these loose themes or they have just been included in order to get an opportunity to speak about world's problems.The main reason to watch this film is Olivier Gourmet-a famous Belgian actor who has acted in various well made,offbeat as well as excellent commercial films.Apart from Olivier Gourmet's presence viewers might develop a liking for the film's South American setting where visually rich religious imagery characterizes the behavioral patterns of its inhabitants.Finally,how human beings reach out to each other in times of grief is one of this film's recurring leitmotif.Film critic Mr.Lalit Rao saw this film during 18th European Film Festival 2013 which was held at Alliance Française De Bangalore.
powerful
Goranaaa23 November 2009
After seeing Khadak, the first film of the creative duo behind Altiplano, I was totally blown away. Soon after I got to see Altiplano and the feeling left after watching Khadak was even topped by the later one. As much as with its story as with its powerful images, Altiplano grabs your attention and doesn't let go until the very end. Some visual moments reminded me of a more comprehensible version of Tarkovsky. Same with the previous film, Khadak, directors here don't aim the entertainment-seeking audience, but the one with higher standards. Visually, it is completely different from Khadak, but the same cinematic "language" of the directing duo can be felt in both. The leading star Magaly Solier gives a remarkable performance, which is a carrier of the whole film. Music is a very big part of this film. It blends with every image perfectly and gives extra power to every scene. Bottom line, I would warmly recommend this film to anyone that has the chance to see it.
sheer beauty
janlhoest25 January 2010
What to say, have no words to describe... but sheer beauty.
The magnificent combination of story, images and music takes it to a higher level, literally! Carefully chosen shots, no more then the necessary words and all through the music, as if it came out of the camera resulting into a complete experience for all senses. You'll find yourself blown away after this movie, and it takes a couple of days to get back to life.
Can't wait to see Khadak and State of Dogs, more work from this fine producers Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth.
GO EXPERIENCE!
The magnificent combination of story, images and music takes it to a higher level, literally! Carefully chosen shots, no more then the necessary words and all through the music, as if it came out of the camera resulting into a complete experience for all senses. You'll find yourself blown away after this movie, and it takes a couple of days to get back to life.
Can't wait to see Khadak and State of Dogs, more work from this fine producers Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth.
GO EXPERIENCE!
aimless and lacking focus needed to tell the story
the-old-gringo25 January 2014
This movie needed an editor with a sharp machete to make it flow and not appear to be so aimless. The actors look so conscious of the camera that they at times look to be characters in a newscast when they are surprised by a news crew and reporter. But above all, my goodness, a good editor is worth his/her weight in gold (not mercury!) - You need to be a mystic movie goer infatuated with the ghosts of Daly & Luis Buñuel to sit through this film. It is so aimless and so lacking in focus. A movie is supposed to be a story and this is just a bunch of moving National Geographic type of photographs without a focused story telling.
Received a nice ovation at the Sydney Film Festival
sharkies699 June 2009
Warning: Spoilers
A sad and tragic story about a mining company turning it's back on local Peruvian townspeople.
After their village is contaminated by Mercury from the mine (some of the local people wrongly believe it is silver)and people start dying a blockade and protest starts.
Ultimately the blockade of the mine proves fruitless...or does it? There is so much more to the story than what I have mentioned and everything from the photography, location, acting and story are all first rate.
Heartbreaking and very moving, the resilience of the local people is inspiring whilst the greed of the mining companies will make you want to scream.
Who knows how many mines operate in countries such as Peru. I read a similar story in the Guardian about a year ago about an identical situation involving locals in Peru protesting against a huge plant mining for minerals to make batteries. The town has massive health issues and birth defects etc but has received little compensation from the arrogant mine owners in the US. I gather that the Peruvian government should take much of the blame as well for turning a blind eye to such devastating operations.
It's not just humans at risk from the effects of industrial waste and pollution. Consider the minerals in many mobile phones and laptops currently being mined in parts of Africa, where land clearing is killing off the gorilla population at a frightening rate.
Anyways, back to the film. I highly recommend people seeing this one on the big screen as the mountain backdrops are stunning and show how much these people are tied to the land.
After their village is contaminated by Mercury from the mine (some of the local people wrongly believe it is silver)and people start dying a blockade and protest starts.
Ultimately the blockade of the mine proves fruitless...or does it? There is so much more to the story than what I have mentioned and everything from the photography, location, acting and story are all first rate.
Heartbreaking and very moving, the resilience of the local people is inspiring whilst the greed of the mining companies will make you want to scream.
Who knows how many mines operate in countries such as Peru. I read a similar story in the Guardian about a year ago about an identical situation involving locals in Peru protesting against a huge plant mining for minerals to make batteries. The town has massive health issues and birth defects etc but has received little compensation from the arrogant mine owners in the US. I gather that the Peruvian government should take much of the blame as well for turning a blind eye to such devastating operations.
It's not just humans at risk from the effects of industrial waste and pollution. Consider the minerals in many mobile phones and laptops currently being mined in parts of Africa, where land clearing is killing off the gorilla population at a frightening rate.
Anyways, back to the film. I highly recommend people seeing this one on the big screen as the mountain backdrops are stunning and show how much these people are tied to the land.
Rubbish
samvanraalte12 January 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I went to a preview screening of this movie with a q&a with the director. I will keep it simple. This movie totally blows. The director explained that this movie would be like a dream. He was right. I fell a sleep 4 times during Altiplano.
Altiplano tells the story about a former war photographer and her physician husband who are caught up in a riot when locals in an Andean village vent their unhappiness with contamination from a nearby mine.
There are some pretty serious themes in this movie, such as murder, pollution and suicide, but none affected me in any way because the central characters in Altiplano didn't come to life at all. That's probably because there is almost no dialogue in Altiplano. There are just beautiful shots with some very heavy music, some dramatic events and that's it.
In advance of the screening, the director tried to explain to the audience what kind of experience Altiplano would be. Some people walked out of the audience during the film. After the movie though, i was left with some people, nobody seemed to have understood anything of this poorly directed film.
The director tried to explain to us what he wanted this movie to be: A movie that has a different meaning to anyone. A movie that is special for every person in his own way.
In stead, nobody understood. Nobody cared. Why? There is no life in this film, just some beautiful shots of Peru. If you're looking for that, i suggest you could type in 'Peru' on google. Saves you some time and money.
Altiplano tells the story about a former war photographer and her physician husband who are caught up in a riot when locals in an Andean village vent their unhappiness with contamination from a nearby mine.
There are some pretty serious themes in this movie, such as murder, pollution and suicide, but none affected me in any way because the central characters in Altiplano didn't come to life at all. That's probably because there is almost no dialogue in Altiplano. There are just beautiful shots with some very heavy music, some dramatic events and that's it.
In advance of the screening, the director tried to explain to the audience what kind of experience Altiplano would be. Some people walked out of the audience during the film. After the movie though, i was left with some people, nobody seemed to have understood anything of this poorly directed film.
The director tried to explain to us what he wanted this movie to be: A movie that has a different meaning to anyone. A movie that is special for every person in his own way.
In stead, nobody understood. Nobody cared. Why? There is no life in this film, just some beautiful shots of Peru. If you're looking for that, i suggest you could type in 'Peru' on google. Saves you some time and money.
A work of beauty
francisvandenplas24 November 2011
I saw this movie a few days ago on TV (should have been a movie theater though) and what I write has no link to the fact one of the directors being... Belgian. I'm even ashamed that, upon now, I hadn't been aware of his (joint) work!
I rate this beauty "only" a 9, because, to me, 10 means perfection. This one is only just short of it and I really can't understand the 6.7 global rating...
Furthermore I can't but subscribe to what "janlhoest" says in his review.
Maybe I would add that to me; this is something like a symphony of images, sound and sheer poetry...
I rate this beauty "only" a 9, because, to me, 10 means perfection. This one is only just short of it and I really can't understand the 6.7 global rating...
Furthermore I can't but subscribe to what "janlhoest" says in his review.
Maybe I would add that to me; this is something like a symphony of images, sound and sheer poetry...
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