Synopsis - Chiclé y Postales Feature
Pablo, an 11-year-old Peruvian street kid, sells chewing gum and postcards to the throng of tourists in Cuzco’s central plaza. One day, Pablo looses track of his pet frog, and while chasing it encounters Mary, a 10- year-old American tourist who is shopping with her mother and sister, Elizabeth, 20. The two children immediately connect, but Elizabeth drags her sister away from the street urchin. The curiosity sparked by this moment causes Pablo to follow the family back to there hotel, with the hopes of having one more interaction with Mary.
Meanwhile, Pablo’s teenage brother, Mano, discovers that Andean Gum has been bought out by an American candy corporation (Mary’s father, Paul, is supervising the takeover) and he and his father have been fired. This is a tragic reality for the men. Driven to extremes by the harsh reality of their situations, Mano and his thug buddy track down Paul, assault him, and steal his wallet-full of money, with Pablo acting as a lookout during the robbery.
As the boys rummage through the wallet, Pablo discovers a photograph of Mary. Distraught, he is determined to return the wallet to its rightful owner.
At the dance club that night, Mano encounters Elizabeth and recognizes her from the photo. The two instantly gravitate toward one another and spend the night together on the dance floor, eventually ending up half-naked in a bathroom stall.
The next morning, a strike breaks out in the plaza while Paul and his family are sightseeing. Mary is swept away by the sea of protesters and separated from her parents. Simultaneously, Mano and Elizabeth are continuing what they started the night before, having sex in her hotel room.
Pablo discovers Mary and leads her out of the chaos to an ancient Inca ruin, overlooking the city. After consoling Mary with his eyes, Pablo takes out Paul’s wallet and gives it to her. She is surprised, but offers him the money, intuitively realizing that he needs it more than her father does. Pablo leads Mary back to her hotel, and before parting ways, he gives her a postcard of the Inca ruins and kisses Mary goodbye.
Pablo returns home to give his brother the money from the wallet. Mano counts it and asks about the photo of Elizabeth. Pablo takes it out of his pocket, rips it in half and gives Mano the half with Elizabeth on it. Mano smiles at his little brother and gives him some of the money, telling him it’s for the family.
The next day Mary and family check out of their hotel. Mary returns the empty wallet to Paul, who can only smile at his daughter, wondering how she got it. Meanwhile, Pablo is in the Plaza selling postcards to the never ending flow of tourists.
