“The dogs will dig, howling a goodbye”
Mrs Norma Piet (Bárbara Mori) is used to living in the lap of luxury in the upmarket district of Miraflores in Lima Perú. She relies on her faithful chauffeur Oscar (César Ballumbrosio) and her maid / cook Rosa (Hermelina Luján) who are always on call. She is petulant, spoilt and impatient having been brought up to be no more than a good wife, a decoration on her husband’s arm and always behaving according to the etiquette required of a person of her class and position.
Christian Meier as Roberto Piet
Norma is very beautiful and all her behaviour is tuned to swat away any unpleasant thoughts or criticisms that might come her way. So, when she is publicly humiliated by her ex-Senator husband Roberto (Christian Meier) who runs off with Miss Amelia, a woman half- his- age, she finds the ground under her feet has vanished and she is totally ill-equipped to cope. Being her own worst enemy, cries for a full three days, throwing tantrums and losing the support of her reliable maid Rosa, who has been with family since she as 15 years of age.
She is rescued by the solid calm of Oscar, the chauffeur who has been able to understand her better than she understands herself. His suggestions, subtle and well-timed pull her out of her despair. It turns out they have a favourite poet (César Vallejo) that they share and Oscar develops the art of calming her down with suitable quotes from the books
Running behind this family breakdown is the country, that is also breaking down, under the threat of powerful populist guerrilla fronts that are gaining ground, threatening the stability of all, especially these divisive class structures.
César Ballumbrosio as Oscar Lara and Bárbara Mori as Norma Piet
This social drama is a biting critique of Peruvian society and ends up being a delightful excuse to create a wonderful gastronomical experience not only for the restaurant customers in the movie, but witnessing the development of this story is a Peruvian gastronomical feast in itself: From French cuisine to a modern version of Peruvian gastronomy. Make sure you are not too hungry!
The cinematography of Nicolás Wong is stunning. Food is notoriously hard to photograph successfully. Social media is proof of that, but here Wong manages to make the audience yearn to be at the table smelling the steaming food.
L'Entrecôte, Norma's new restaurant
It is a well-crafted and carefully observed film that ruthlessly shreds the illusions of grandeur that some of these society grandees like to defend. It illustrates the harsh realities of survival and the resilience of those who make it through. The period feel is spot on, the cars amazing, and the class divisions are truthfully and harshly depicted. De Montreuil celebrates the cultural mix in the country, from different continents, from local indigenous to European, African and Asian, to arrive at the cultural richness in that tapestry that is in evidence today.
“Every artist is destined to develop their own norms.”
Hence the film’s title MISTURA, which signifies a blend of different
Ricardo de Montreuil on set.
MISTURA (2024) directed by Ricardo de Montreuil will be on general release after October 16th 2026.
Written by Ricardo de Montreuil dga/ Producer: Iván Orlic PGA / Associate Producers: Daniela Ganoza and Josué Méndez/ Co-producers: Enid Campos & Patrick Pfupajena / Executive Producers: Ricardo de Montreuil, Christian Meier & Bárbara Mori / Art Director: Mario Frías/ Costume: Leslie Hinojosa/ Sound Design: Cameron Frankley/ Direct Sound: Omar Pareja / Cinematography: Nicolás Wong CCR / Editors: Luis Colina & Ricardo de Montreuil / Music: Tim Williams / Seine Pictures.
Cast: -
Norma Piet: Bárbara Mori / Oscar Lara: César Ballumbrosio / Rosa: Hermelina Luján/ Octavio: Josué Subaustue/ José Eyzaguirre: Juan Pablo Olyslager/ Gerald: Stefano Meier/ Raúl: Tomás Matsufuji/ Mariana: Vanessa Saba/ Roberto Piet: Christian Meier / with Marco Zunino
