This is the
story of 10 Bolivian youth who journey deep into
collective memory of a popular revolt, who explore and remake a
rebellious urban mestizo identity, who creatively destroy their own
political theater in a theater-truck tour and in experimental street
performances.
--
Maya and Tintín, in
their early 20s, live with their parents in El Alto, the largest indigenous
city in the Americas. Maya helps her mother peel potatoes, but instead of the
traditional Andean dress she
sports an “El Alto Rock” T-shirt. Nightly, in her troupe’s latest play, Maya rehearses as “Cholita”, an Andean woman of traditional dress. She puts on her
mother’s clothes and acts tired of discrimination and an oppresive system, and
helps overthrow the government in 2003. Tintín,
for his part, acts as Yatiri, a
native Aymaran shaman. His dad quizzes him, doubtful: “You know how to act as a
shaman? Which mountain spirits to invoke?” Tintín
defends his ability, overconfident at first, but soon admitting he doesn’t know
the order of the spirits’ names. We see an animation of these same mountain spirits, from whose skirts legions of miners emerge to build the city of El Alto.
We
follow Maya and Tintín through the dirt streets of El Alto to a cultural center
made of recycled doors and windows, and Tintín, Maya, and 8 other youth create their play. The youth begin by recalling the
events of October 2003, lamenting the 84 martyrs, and reminiscing about power
crumbling at their feet. Archival footage of 2003 supplements their memory.
They remember how Evo Morales rose
to power with their help – a president that looks and talks like them! They
also shudder remembering the violent police repression and their neighbors’
lootings. From these emotional memories and from experimental improvisations
with projected video, 
comes diverse and chaotic collective creation, a mix of
glorification and critique of their city and people.
Tintín is their natural leader, and he directs the successful public performance
about the dictatorship. Nonetheless, he is plagued with doubts about acting on
the tour; there are practical doubts about school andwork responsibilities, but
mostly he doubts his ability to represent a dead shaman – he barely even
understands his own ancestral language. During an improvised interaction with
the shaman’s projection, he has a crisis and decides to not accompany the group
on tour. 
Maya, nonetheless,
continues with her fellow actors,
and they present the play throughout the country, giving their all despite
little leadership.
Maya and Tintín, in
their early 20s, live with their parents in El Alto, the largest indigenous
city in the Americas. Maya helps her mother peel potatoes, but instead of the
traditional Andean dress she
sports an “El Alto Rock” T-shirt. Nightly, in her troupe’s latest play, Maya rehearses as “Cholita”, an Andean woman of traditional dress. She puts on her
mother’s clothes and acts tired of discrimination and an oppresive system, and
helps overthrow the government in 2003. Tintín,
for his part, acts as Yatiri, a
native Aymaran shaman. His dad quizzes him, doubtful: “You know how to act as a
shaman? Which mountain spirits to invoke?” Tintín
defends his ability, overconfident at first, but soon admitting he doesn’t know
the order of the spirits’ names. We see an animation of these same mountain spirits, from whose skirts legions of miners emerge to build the city of El Alto. 
We
follow Maya and Tintín through the dirt streets of El Alto to a cultural center
made of recycled doors and windows, and Tintín, Maya, and 8 other youth create their play. The youth begin by recalling the
events of October 2003, lamenting the 84 martyrs, and reminiscing about power
crumbling at their feet. Archival footage of 2003 supplements their memory.
They remember how Evo Morales rose
to power with their help – a president that looks and talks like them! They
also shudder remembering the violent police repression and their neighbors’
lootings. From these emotional memories and from experimental improvisations
with projected video, 
comes diverse and chaotic collective creation, a mix of
glorification and critique of their city and people.
They decide to
embody the fallen in 2003 in the play, using cultural icons such as miners and cholitas. The pressure to represent the
dead in this all-important moment of their history is huge, and their goals go
even farther: they want to liberate audiences through shared memory and
identity. However, their youthful exuberance also plays against them: they
can’t stop fooling around, as their mentor Iván
chides. Then, their distractions are banished, when they get a gig to 
re-enact
the coup d’état on its 30th
anniversary. They embody murdered union leaders and the last dictatorship’s
henchmen. In this public performance they also incarnate the dead… now they
just need the same high energy for their play.
re-enact
the coup d’état on its 30th
anniversary. They embody murdered union leaders and the last dictatorship’s
henchmen. In this public performance they also incarnate the dead… now they
just need the same high energy for their play.
Tintín is their natural leader, and he directs the successful public performance
about the dictatorship. Nonetheless, he is plagued with doubts about acting on
the tour; there are practical doubts about school andwork responsibilities, but
mostly he doubts his ability to represent a dead shaman – he barely even
understands his own ancestral language. During an improvised interaction with
the shaman’s projection, he has a crisis and decides to not accompany the group
on tour. 
Maya, nonetheless,
continues with her fellow actors,
and they present the play throughout the country, giving their all despite
little leadership. 
People are amazed by this spectacular art, but Maya pushes for more. In private and
public, she ponders this political-creative movement aimed at liberation – and
doubting its success. She sees the tour as lackluster, with only partial
connection with their audience and their past.
Upon return, the young actors, pushed by Iván, critique the unsatisfactory tour
while watching footage of their audiences. They decide to change tactics, to go
extreme with interactive intervention, like in the performance commemorating
the coup. Tintín again encounters the
projection of his character, the Yatiri, who convinces him that he must embody
the spirit of justice. 
As icons of the popular classes, they all, including
Tintín as Yatiri, enter public spaces without warning, requesting memories of
2003. No longer an act, they are truly manifesting the spirits of the struggles
of the past. Then, at Bolivia’s main plaza, facing police and other protesters,
they demand justice, declassification of military files and legal action
against the murderers, even criticizing their respected President Evo for lack of action.
As icons of the popular classes, they all, including
Tintín as Yatiri, enter public spaces without warning, requesting memories of
2003. No longer an act, they are truly manifesting the spirits of the struggles
of the past. Then, at Bolivia’s main plaza, facing police and other protesters,
they demand justice, declassification of military files and legal action
against the murderers, even criticizing their respected President Evo for lack of action.
Under the weight of so many past spectacular
movements, and in the face of huge obstacles to reach their audiences, they
struggle to find and project a unique voice. When they finally find it, and use
it to move the public to action…. will
they be heard?
