Mirella Villalobos

Julia inherited her mother Asunta’s job as a domestic worker in the wealthy De la Puente household, where she was raised alongside the family’s daughters. Asunta, an Andean woman who migrated to Lima after Peru’s 1970 earthquake, carried a life shaped by displacement, silence, and sacrifice. Over the years, affection and inequality became inseparably intertwined within the household. Now, as illness and old age expose long-buried secrets, Julia is forced to confront the invisible social order that has defined her existence. Torn between loyalty and freedom, she must decide whether to remain in the role imposed on her or finally reclaim her own identity.

The story follows Gabriela, a young woman seeking to heal the deep wounds of a traumatic past. In her desperation, she decides to invoke a traditional Ekeko doll to heal and change her destiny. However, what initially seems to bring her good fortune soon transforms into her worst nightmare. The plot explores how the unbridled pursuit of prosperity distorts the amulet's essence when it interacts with Taitaorco, a powerful mountain spirit. Under the stark premise that "greed is a deadly sin" and "every stroke of luck comes at a price," a sinister ancestral rule is revealed: if the cigarette offered to the statuette goes out before burning completely, a portal to the underworld (Uku Pacha) opens, awakening malevolent entities ready to violently collect on favors rendered in exchange for your very soul.

Inspired by actual events, the film follows Aquiles, an Amazonian boy abducted by the terrorist group Shining Path. Through his testimony, we witness his journey from victim to fighter and his desperate attempt to escape. A raw and intimate look at indoctrination, violence, and survival, the film reconstructs his struggle for identity and freedom.