How Long Is “Madeinusa”?

A young woman of privilege and a man of no social status meet as a small town prepares to wallow in forbidden pleasure in this satiric drama, the first feature film from writer and director Claudia Llosa. Madeinusa (Magaly Solier) is a young woman whose father, Cayo (Ubaldo Huaman), is the mayor of a small town in the Peruvian Andes. Madeinusa is bright and attractive, but this has caused her more than a few problems; her father clearly favors her over her sister, Chale (Yiliana Chong), and since their mother ran away, Cayo has displayed an inappropriate attraction to Madeinusa. While the town strives to accept modern ways, they still embrace a strange custom that began many years ago -- on Good Friday, after acknowledging the crucifixion of Christ, the townspeople engage in a festival of decadence, with any and all sins permitted following the Savior's death until He rises again on Easter Sunday. As the Holy Day festival of Sin is about to start, Madeinusa happens to meet Salvador (Carlos De La Torre), a vagrant laborer who was passing through town when Cayo's men arrested him. For Madeinusa and Salvador, it's love at first sight, but the bizarre backdrop of the festival of sin makes it difficult for them to get to know one another. Madeinusa received its North American premiere at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.