Review of Song Without a Name (2020) by Brent_Marchant — 27 Aug 2020

This fact-based but atmospheric tale of the efforts of a young mother and a closeted journalist to uncover an infant selling ring in Peru during the country's political turmoil of the 1980s provides a unique take on a shocking news story told from a highly personal, exceedingly inventive perspective.

With an excellent lead performance by Pamela Mendoza, gorgeous black-and-white cinematography and an ethereal original score, director Melina Leon's debut feature tells a captivating story all its own while simultaneously paying homage to Latin American political thrillers (most notably Chilean-based offerings like "Missing" and "Spider"), as well as tales of minority disenfranchisement and exploitation (such as Mexico's "Roma").

Admittedly, the film could use a little more back story for context, and it sometimes tries to do a little too much, with some story threads not fleshed out as thoroughly as they could be. Overall, though, this is a fine initial offering from another promising new talent, a filmmaker who clearly demonstrates a great deal of vision and imagination in telling a story that could have easily been presented much more conventionally in lesser skilled hands.