“Until we meet again” is nothing more than a pleasant sightseeing tour through Peru

Stephanie Cayo and Maxi Iglesias star in the romantic comedy that marks Peru's debut in the original catalog of Netflix. From its title (a reference to the expression “tinkunakama” of the Quechua language) to the scenarios, the purpose of Until we meet again is to bring to the cinema a story with a Peruvian flavor and introduce the wonders of this country to the world... And practically, that defines it: it is an export film that could easily be seen in a travel agency, since its narrative as such is a rather empty companion.

The story follows a Spanish architect and businessman, Salvador Campodónico (Maxi Iglesias), who lands in Cusco to start the project of a seven-star hotel in the city commissioned by his father, the owner of a multi-million dollar company. Next to the house he rented to stay during this time, he discovers that there is a friendly hostel that welcomes multiple tourists. When he enters this place, the scene bears very Peruvian attributes, although they dance celebration—a coastal dance from Lima and Ica—in the Sierra and the initial sensation is how much the capital's vision of the director, Bruno Ascenzo, weighs heavily in the attempt to set the atmosphere of Cusco.

What follows is typical of a classic love story. Salvador is struck by the beauty of Ariana (Stephanie Cayo), a young backpacker who works with her aunt in this place. The initial dialogues between the two fall into the simplicity of showing how peruvian she is to this foreigner to the point of being very forced. After an exciting night, she discovers that this man has really come to her country to destroy part of her childhood home and ruin some of the rustic and natural charm in Cusco, an allegory of Spanish colonialism that could be fun.

The only way to stop him will be to make him see with his own eyes the beauty of Peru at its best. To spend more time with the young lady, he decides to make his commitments aside for a few days to take one of the tourists' favorite tourist routes, a four-day excursion known as the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, a very remarkable visual point of the film. There is no doubt that every scene that shows the landscapes is wonderful, but Until we meet again it is only to be a walk through incredible places.

Meanwhile, pressure from Salvador's father is getting stronger and stronger to close the deal for a much larger building than is allowed. Finally, he ends up forgetting about this problem for a while longer when he arrives in the wonderful city of the Andes with Ariana. The best moment of the dynamics of these two characters does not happen even at this moment, but when they are on the way back. He notes that she has an obvious terror of road trips and, later, discovers that her parents died in a car accident.

When the Spaniard realizes that he is at the point of losing himself and Ariana, who has decided to pursue another destination, he leaves everything behind to embark on an adventure to Puno and then to Paracas. These attractions once again show the charm of Peru without the plot contributing too much, since the search for his beloved backpacker sounds more like an excuse to continue taking the public on a trip. The ending is very much like a romantic film: they will stay together no matter how different their lives are. With no more surprises involved, the experience of seeing Until we meet again could be considered nothing more than an anecdote to know closely the most beautiful thing in Peru and it's not bad if that was always his goal.

The first Peruvian film produced by Netflix was released this Friday, March 18.

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