Mother Lode
Synopsis
Jorge leaves his family and his job as a motorcycle taxi driver in the suburbs of Lima to seek his fortune at the highest and most dangerous mine in the Peruvian Andes. Perched on a glacier, La Rinconada is “the city closest to the sky”; thousands of seasonal workers arrive here every year, drawn by the chance to strike it rich and the hope of a better life.
From this point on, Jorge embarks on a journey filled with premonitions a place where reality and imagination are inextricably intertwined, and where the myth of wealth is built upon sacrifice. Young miners occasionally vanish, for the gold belongs to the Devil, and El Tío de la Mina demands sacrifices.
Trailer
Director’s vision
The idea for the film was born in a mining village in Tanzania, stemming from an interest in the metaphysical nature of gold—beyond its economic implications. La Rinconada, situated at an altitude of 5,300 meters in the Andes, was the perfect setting to tell the story of the contemporary gold rush.
Through a network of local intermediaries, I met Jose Luis Nazario Campos—a miner since the age of thirteen—who shared the first lesson he learned in the mines: “Gold belongs to the devil.” That phrase defined our journey.
Through him, I explored the world of Peruvian mines, where myth and reality merge, making the boundary between the two indistinguishable. From this emerged a modern fable—a journey of initiation where dreams and sacrifice intertwine, reflecting the stories of those who, for centuries, have fueled the wealth of others while remaining in the shadows.
Credits
