Synopsis
This 1987 documentary is the only window into an experimental open-air penal colony in the Peruvian Amazon, which no camera has ever entered and has been rarely written about.
Sepa: Our Lord of Miracles
1986 ‘Sepa - Nuestro Señor de los Milagros’ Directed by Walter Saxer
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The first 10 minutes with the grainy images of a prison revolt in Lima (if I’m not wrong), are so powerful that it’s almost painful to watch. The rest of the movie is a fascinating exploration of the experimental open-air penal colony of Sepa, a 37,000-hectare tract of land in the middle of the jungle in Central Peru, and its inmates. The documentary loses a bit of its power and focus in the last 20 or so minutes in my opinion, but it still remains a very interesting viewing experience.
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Wild to think the first and last few minutes are from the same movie. What a gorgeous film and we are lucky to have it in the world again.
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Sepa: Nuestro Señor de los milagros (1986)
7/10
Rough start, heartwarming ending. More soon.
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MoMA - DCP
What if prison...wasn't so bad.
Terrific doc about Peruvian penal colony Sepa and its eccentric inmates, some of their families, the guards and the warden. The film says a lot about rehabilitation and the corrupt prison system in place but the only answers it may offer is cumbia in drag and the debut of 'The Colonel'.