Peloteros


Peloteros is a 2006 Peruvian–Cuban sports action comedy-drama film directed by Coco Castillo and written by Castillo & Max Gamero. It stars Joel Ezeta, Marco Antonio Solís, Christian Ruiz, Stefano Tosso, Frank Mac Bride, Yamir Londres, Mónica Cabrejos and Maricarmen Marín. It narrates the adventures of a group of adolescents during the 90s in a crowded neighborhood in Lima. Most of the film is centered around the sport that boys like the most: soccer. The name of the film, "Peloteros", is the same slang used in Peru to define a group of men, regardless of age, who try to play soccer at any time possible.

Plot

In a neighborhood of Breña, Lima, a group of baseball players always played on Sundays with more skilled players, and they lost. The group was made up of Norman, Luchito, "Vargas Llosita", the intellectual of the group ; Aldo, the Black and the Chinese. Despite that, the boys celebrated, relaxed drinking.
But there are difficulties that arise: Luchito tells his friends that he will soon move to the United States, but they are in need of money for their passage and their studies; Norman witnesses the physical and sexual abuse that his alcoholic father Ramiro inflicts on his mother, Rosa.
The young baseball players long to sign up for a soccer championship and win said competition, demonstrating the friendship they have, the passion they feel for the sport, and the love they seek to have with women. Among this story, there are other feats of the group of adolescents, being funny or serious that will remain for a lifetime and those of the young boys.

Cast

The actors participating in this film are:
  • Joel Ezeta as Norman
  • Marco Antonio Solis as Luchito
  • Christian Ruiz as Vargas Llosita
  • Stefano Tosso as Aldo
  • Frank Mac Bride as Black
  • Yamir London as Chino
  • Maricarmen Marín as Marlene
  • Mónica Cabrejos as Rosa
  • Juan Manuel Ochoa as Ramiro
  • Javier Echevarría as Carlos
  • Ricky Tosso as Paquito
  • Renzo Schuller as Norman

Release

The film premiered on June 29, 2006, in Lima, Peru. In Cuba, Peloteros was shown at the Cine Pobre Film Festival in April 2007. It was then released on DVD in 2007, as was its North American edition of the same year by Laguna Productions.
In Chile, it was chosen as the Best Feature Film at the Second Social Film and Human Rights Festival in 2008.