Wiñay
(Wiñay)
Álvaro Olmos Torrico | Drama, Fiction
2018 | 81 minutes | Bolivia
Two women journey to the jungle for an Ayahuasca ritual; their challenges lead them to self-discovery through spiritual transformation and resilience.
Synopsis
Susane and Sole, two women who have just met, embark on a transformative journey to the Peruvian jungle for an Ayahuasca ritual, each driven by urgent personal motivations. The road through the mountains is perilous, marked by thefts, illnesses, losses, and unexpected encounters. Yet, with each setback, their resilience grows, as the physical challenges mirror their internal struggles. The deeper they travel, the more profound the emotional and spiritual stakes become.
Once they reach the jungle, disoriented by the oppressive heat and the absence of familiar markers, they get lost, forced to wait for rescue. It is during this time of disconnection from the outside world that Susane reveals the true, deeper reasons for her pilgrimage.
The film interrogates the growing Western interest in Ayahuasca and other indigenous plant medicines, raising important questions about healing, identity, and the intersection between ancient traditions and contemporary existential crises.
Reviews
“Only with a cautious and studied photography, inversely balanced characters, the McGuffin of a utopian spiritual destiny and the message that what matters in the end is the experience as such; Wiñay proves that less is more.” – Luis Romero, Imagendocs
“What transforms and brings definitively to the story is the materiality of nature as such, the intense green, vibrant like Soledad's character and overwhelming or apprehensive like Susane's.” – Luis Braun, La Ramona
“It would seem that Olmos seeks to build an intimate story in the midst of large, generally empty spaces.” – Mauricio Souza, La Razón
Citation
Main credits
Olmos Torrico, Álvaro (film director)
Olmos Torrico, Álvaro (screenwriter)
Segovia, Claudia (film producer)
Céspedes, Harold (film producer)
Soriano, Marie (actor)
Tamayo, Sara (actor)
Other credits
Cinematography, Esteban Cruz; editing, Cristina Carrasco Hernández; music, Alejandro Rivas Cottle.
Citation
Cataloging
Pragda subjects
Culture + Identity
Indigenous Peoples
Latin American Studies
Mental Health
Religion + Spirituality
South America
Women
Keywords
Clips
Festivals
Latin-American Cinema Week
DIRECTOR: Álvaro Olmos Torrico
NATIONALITY: Bolivia
YEAR: 2018
GENRE: Drama, Fiction
LANGUAGE: Spanish
COLOR / B&W: Color
GRADE LEVEL: College, Adult
SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE
AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE
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