Mother Lode

"Listen, this is not just a single story, there are many..." says the narrator, in a soft yet authoritative voice of one who knows. He's warning you the viewer, or is it the protagonist? Both, because the story we are about to witness transcends the mountains of Peru. It is a universal story.

This mysterious narrator's voice--possibly the voice of our collective unconscious--coupled with the masterful, stark black and white imagery create a universe where reality and myth are one. "Mother Lode is a fable," explains director Matteo Tornone in an interview with Swiss magazine Daily Movies.

This is a simple story of a young taxi driver in Lima whose tuk-tuk breaks down forcing him to try his luck at La Rinconada, the highest and most dangerous Andean gold mine in Peru. The odds are stacked against him, the game is rigged, as if a devil were in control of his destiny. This is the story of workers everywhere, caught under the crushing machinery of unrestrained capitalism and the empty promise of fortune.

I was surprised to learn that this film was shot on a Sony A7S2--not an 100K+ Arri rig. The cinematography is exquisite. The writing, editing, and structure are exceptional. This is no ordinary documentary. It's a film of rare clarity and conviction - grounded in reality, yet free to do what great cinema must: tell its truth, artfully.