Review: Marimbas From Hell

Traditional Guatemalan music and heavy metal collide as a struggling musician, fearing threats from extortionists, is comforted by his only companion in Julio Hernández Cordón’s Marimbas From Hell. This is Cordón’s second feature and the topic of Marimbas is reminiscent of his first film Gasolina which focused on the lower echelons of society and the struggles they face.

Cordón’s style, which relies upon non-actors, fits the story of Don Alfonso who comes across honestly as a lost man hiding his family away from gangsters and taking solace in his instrument of choice, the marimba. As the outlook for work looks grim, Alfonso connects with his glue-huffing godson Chiquilin and local metal legend Blacko. Together the three form a band, or at least attempt to, incorporating the sounds of the youth – metal – and the classic sound of Guatemala.

This spur-of-the-moment style of filming ultimately serves little purpose in terms of supporting or destroying narrative, leading one to believe it was a cost-cutting measure for which we cannot begrudge the filmmaker. The film itself however is devoid of any level of enjoyment as the narrative merely ambles through the motions of telling a story, and concludes in a specific but highly inconsequential manner. Even though the concept could prove to be humourous, the film lacks in the delivery as the non-actors tend to convey their true belief to the script rather than appreciating the subtleties that they are required to convey.

These points of contention that plague the film and deprive audiences from something that could have been lighthearted even if we are unfamiliar with the dance that is involved in putting together a new band.

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