Las marimbas del infierno

This interesting half documentary, half fictional film brings together three colorful characters out of the streets of Guatemala: a ruined marimba player (Don Alfonso), a religious metal singer in his 50s (Blacko) and a glue-sniffing junkie (Chiquilin). Together they try to start a project to bring together metal music and a marimba (a traditional Guatemalan instrument) for they need money to subsist.

The fact that the characters are played by real life people who are retelling their personal story makes it a much more authentic experience and you end up caring about what happens to them.

There are a couple of very memorable scenes on the film mainly when they start to rehearse for their first presentation which is specially hilarious and the last scene which I found gives the movie the last stroke of authenticity.

Many people will probably find the film boring at times, unfocused and maybe the ending kind of abrupt. But if and when you watch it remember that this is how life is, life is not a Hollywood movie or a script meant to follow some pre-established sequence of situations that we know works to entertain. The authenticity of the movie resides in its capacity to portray life situations without unnecessary make up, with a honest look at how people try to live their lives, accomplish their goals and how the outcomes are as unexpected as they are expected. Life is kind of a game where if you take the initiative it could end up rewarding you, or taking away something from you or maybe with no particular reward or loss.

When watching the movie try to think about your life, about the life of people you know and care about and you'll find yourself there with Don Alfonso, Blacko and Chiquilin. Just that everyday fight we all wake up to every morning, maybe today we'll make it, who knows? Or maybe not, so just grab a beer and listen to some metal. Tomorrow is just another day.