Abstract:

Through a narrative perspective, this study analyzes the two highest-grossing movies of Peruvian cinema released between 2017 and 2018, and describes how the different components of the audiovisual story are used to generate empathy with its audience.

The paradigm of this research is interpretative with a qualitative research design. Fragments of selected films are described and analyzed in the form of critical analysis called "Film Aesthetics". From the universe of Peruvian commercial films released in 2017 and 2018, the most successful box office films were chosen as a showcase in the years referred to as holding first place in the public's preferences.

Through Film Aesthetics we confront a film’s narrative elements with a logic of interpretation in order to discover values or meanings. The study influences the use of this type of analysis in teaching practice in order to train students in the role of thinking viewers. In this case, the film's aesthetic observation and analysis techniques are used, with a narrative focus in the selected films. In this way, the main research categories have been established, using the applicable narrative theory.

We conclude that, after the arrival of digital cinema as a standard, Peruvian cinema flouts a new commercial style based on combining narrative elements such as structure, conflict, setting and characters within a formula of light amusement where the main characters are immersed in stories that value the average Peruvian’s daily routine as a key success factor.

References used in Peruvian comedies transcend cinematographic language and use resources from other platforms, such as television and social networks. With the advent of digital cinema, access to cinema in DCP has led to more movies being made and different languages mixed together. Film specificity has been diluted and the interpretation of the cinematic language has been simplified adopting traditional and digital media codes (reality television and/or YouTube resources) to the satisfaction of the general public who rewarded both movies with its preference.

These comedies make narrative forms visible, which replicate and take over the local film offer. It becomes necessary to revise current curricula and create new curricula based on promoting academic film criticism in higher education as a way to ensure a lively diversity in audiovisual stories at Peruvian film schools, and that profoundly shape the creativity of young learners.

Since in the Peruvian scenario, audience studies are taken into account only as potential consumers expressed by figures in box office reports, it becomes necessary to revise approaches to cinema critique and audience studies, studying the audience´s understanding of cinema's role in society. Thus, delving into demand requirements which today impoverish the chain of commercial cinema which arose after the standardization of digital cinema in Peru. This study contributes to the existing literature in the impact of digital cinema in Latin America and teaching practice in film studies.

Keywords:

Comedy, Peruvian cinema, narrative, academic curricula, higher education.