The Trial

Don't expect a courtroom drama in this tale of guilt and redemption. Instead, it's one strong-willed woman battling her conscience-and the unforgiving landscape-to find her long-lost father. Miranda leaves her home in Lima on an unforgettable journey to the high peaks of the Andes. She hitches a ride with Saul, a hydraulic engineer needed at a highland dam; the land is parched from a drought. Saul and Miranda begin a roller-coaster relationship on their long journey, echoed by the rocky volcanic land around them. Miranda is desperate to find her father and bring him back to Lima-he is a likely blood donor for her brother, Tomas, dying in a hospital. But her father has hidden himself well; he does not want to be found. Filmed on location in Arequipa, Peru, and in and around Colca Canyon, THE TRIAL is as much a cultural revelation as it is a survival story. (In Spanish and Quechua with English subtitles) –A.S.