Comparsa

Gender-based violence and femicide continue to be an appalling issue worldwide – the UN reports that partners and family members alone intentionally killed a woman every ten minutes in 2023. Guatemala has one of the highest incidences of these crimes and the involvement of the state in the violence came into the spotlight in 2017 when 41 girls died in a fire at a state-run ‘safe house’ because police guards refused to release them from the locked room where the blaze had begun.

That story was given a magic realist reimagining by Jayro Bustamante in Rita (2024) and he is one of the executive directors of this elegantly constructed and moving documentary charting one community’s response to it and other crimes of violence against women.

In Ciudad Peronia, about an hour by car away from where the safe house deaths happened, Peronia Adolescente is a grassroots youth organisation helping girls and other youngsters to express themselves creatively and find support through community. Vickie Curtis and Douglas Anderson focus on the work of the group – and particularly that of sisters Lesli and Lupe – in the run-up to a “comparsa”, which mixes creativity and carnival with activism and peaceful protest.

The documentarians strike a careful balance themselves, channelling the joy and energy of the group as they come together to create puppets or work on raps and drum routines but never forgetting the difficult and melancholy backdrop they’re doing this against.

Lesli has impressive performance skills, including fire breathing, but it’s her strength of character that really stands out as we see her motivating other women to find their voice. She, in turn, was mentored by Marta, and one of the most heartwarming elements of the film is seeing how the torch of solidarity and communal strength is being passed down the generations. Speaking out isn’t easy, however, when you’re living in a climate intended to induce fear. Lesli doesn’t want to talk about everything because of the risk that would pose to her and her loved ones. Her caution comes from experience as she has previously been kidnapped.

The countdown to the comparsa drives the film in some ways but so do the memories of the women who have lost their lives, many of whom were personally known by the film’s participants. Their names are painted in circles on a butterfly costume, while elsewhere flowers planted into pairs of shoes remind us of who should be standing among them. Elegant body painting, shot with grace by the documentarians, helps the women to express their inner fears and strength. Comparsa articulates the women’s experiences in a clear-sighted way, and it doesn’t shy away from how hard it is sometimes to talk about a traumatic experience with someone else. The women’s optimism, however, blazes at the heart of the film, showing how they have converted that negative energy into positive action through the strength of their friendships and unflinching group support.

Reviewed on: 30 Jun 2025