Mauris from Titicaca

In 2006, Marcelo Bukin made a series of short documentaries about children on the fringes of Peruvian society. is one of these. It is a portrait of five sisters and one brother who live on a small boat and fish for survival on Lake Titicaca. The water symbolises more than an insufficient livelihood, and the severe weather conditions have often put them in harm's way, but the orphans display an admirable ability to take care of themselves. The director follows them on the water and the mainland. Day after day, they confront the harrowing facts of life and cheer each other up by singing songs. Bukin asks the children questions about their sorrow, their dreams, about having children, and they respond with answers that are very mature for their years. Unfortunately, grim reality knows no age discrimination.