Documentary examines little-known side of Paraguayan society through family tragedy
108 (CUCHILLO DE PALO) (Renate Costa Perdomo, 2010)
Maysles Institute
343 Malcolm X Blvd. between 127th & 128th Sts.
March 18-24
212-582-6050
www.mayslesinstitute.org
www.cuchillodepalo.net
When she was a girl in Asunción, Paraguay, Renate Costa Perdomo had an uncle, Rodolfo Costa, who died under mysterious circumstances. For several days, he lay naked and dead on the floor of his apartment, his closet empty of all clothing. When Perdomo asked her family what her uncle died of, she was told “sadness.” After attending film school, Perdomo decided to get to the bottom of the story, making her feature-length documentary debut with the intimate, moving 108 (Cuchillo de Palo). Shot with a beautiful poetic beauty by Carlos Vásquez, the film follows Perdomo as she speaks with relatives, neighbors, and friends of her uncle’s who slowly reveal that he lived a second life, one in which he was known as Héctor Torres, a gay dancer who was persecuted for the way he was, arrested under Alfredo Stroessner’s repressive regime and included on a famous public list of 108 homosexuals. Perdomo explains that the number, 108, is still filled with meaning in Paraguay, where some people refuse to use it as an address or in a telephone number. Perdomo speaks at length with her father, a silversmith who has no problem discussing his old-fashioned feelings about homosexuality. Perdomo also meets some of the people who knew Hector, including men who identify as women, some of whom will only speak in secrecy. 108 is more than just a personal journey; it is a compelling exploration of lingering bigotry and biases, made by a woman who is unafraid to share the truth, about both her family and her native country, with a world that needs to know about these kinds of stories. 108, which has been winning awards at international festivals since 2010, is finally getting its U.S. theatrical release, running March 18-24 at the Maysles Cinema as part of Livia Bloom’s “Documentary in Bloom” series.