Welcome to Poptun

In 2006, Marcelo Bukin made a series of short documentaries about children on the periphery of Peruvian and Guatemalan society. is one of these. When three brothers, shoeshiners at a market, are asked about their lives, they answer without hesitation. They discuss why they attend school, their dreams for the future, and their unbearable situation at home. On the radio show, , an abused mother is urged to take back control over her life. Meanwhile, the boys attest to their own abuse at hand of their stepfather. They are young but determined, and they possess both insight and the ability to see the bigger picture. They manage to keep their spirits up, symbolized by the cheerful musical intermezzos. In spite of this glimmer of hope, the questions linger: how much longer can will their spirits remain unbroken, and what will prevent history from repeating itself? Bukin films attentively and unpretentiously, but with a painful harshness. The juxtaposition of the three boys is as straightforward as it is revealing, offering a sombre picture of a society practically devoid of all hope.