GODS AND KINGS
Robin Blotnick | USA, Guatemala 2012 | 87 Min. | OmeU
In the muddy market square of Momostenango, Guatemala, where shamans burn offerings in the shadow of the Catholic Church, a bizarre spectacle is arriving. Horror movie monsters jostle through the crowd, followed by Mexican pop stars, Japanese game avatars, and dictators from the dark years of the 1980s. Unlike the folkloric performances long studied by anthropologists, the new Disfraz dance won’t show up on any postcard. In some villages, it’s even been banned for frightening tourists. So how did these fiberglass masks of Xena, the Warrior Princess, come to be blessed in the smoke of Maya altars? In a town where a Hollywood B-movie villain is a real evil spirit, stories can’t be taken lightly and it always matters who’s telling them.
