A MOTHER'S LOVE // A FILM REVIEW OF "SONG WITHOUT A NAME (CANCIÓN SIN NOMBRE)"

BY MATEO MORENO

In SONG WITHOUT A NAME (CANCIÓN SIN NOMBRE), set in 1988 Peru, we meet a young woman named Georgina (Pamela Mendoza) and her husband Leo (Lucio Rojas). They are two villagers who are overworked and underpaid, selling Potatoes on the street, barely scraping by. Georgina is also pregnant with little money to have the child. She hears a radio ad for a Private Clinic offering free health care for expecting mothers. She arrives at the clinic in labor and we see her immediately pass out after giving birth. She is awakened a short time later by a woman, telling her that her daughter is in the hospital, undergoing some tests and that she'll see her tomorrow. She then coldly tells her, "We need the bed." Georgina protests, demanding to see her daughter first. So they physically remove her from the building, locking her out on the street, only hours after giving birth and without her own child. She returns the next day to find that the Clinic has packed up and left town, leaving no trace of them or the whereabouts of her child.

After getting no help from the Police, Georgina shows up at a local Newspaper, telling them that she needs to speak to someone about her missing daughter. A young reporter Pedro (Tommy Párraga) immediately feels for the grieving Mother and starts investigating. As he begins to gather clues, he also meets a young actor Isa (Maykol Hernández) who's in town doing a Tennessee Williams play. They are both drawn to each other and Pedro acts on his desires, finding a glimmer of happiness. But as the pieces start to unravel, answers seems to be just out of grasp and even though Pedro defiantly tells Georgina that he promises to find her child, he seems unsure of it himself. After all, with no one helping him, how can he find any answers in this wall of mirrors.

There are no easy answers and no easy paths, and Melina León's wistful and delicate film (based itself on a true story that happened earlier in the 1980's) slowly moves through their world with a loving care, making the viewer feel as if they are experiencing the pain themselves in a dreamlike way. Pamela Mendoza gives a heartbreaking performance as the grieving new mother. Her performances radiates on screen, and she gives a fully realized and subtle performance. Also giving an powerful understated performance is Tommy Párraga as a Journalist who actually gives a damn. He's withdrawn but never cold and his dedication to Georgina's case adds a hopefulness inside of a dark nightmare. His attraction to Isa also showcases a different side of him: a quiet gay man longing for a touch but scared of where it may ultimately lead. The supporting cast also radiate: Maykol Hernández simmers with a few scenes and Lucio Rojas also breaks your heart as his lost father simply doesn't know what to do. SONG WITHOUT A NAME is a powerful and tender journey into a harrowing story, shining a well deserved light into a horrifying true tale.

GRADE: A

WRITTEN BY Melina León, Michael J. White DIRECTED BY Melina León STARRING Pamela Mendoza, Tommy Párraga, Lucio Rojas, Ruth Armas, Maykol Hernández. Now Available on Virtual Cinemas via Film Movement. For more information: https://www.filmmovement.com/