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Gustavo Herrera Taboada

Gustavo Herrera Taboada's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at Tomatometer-approved publication(s).
Biography:

I am a Peruvian film scholar who wants to stay connected with the outside world through film criticism. My life as a moviegoer started in Lima but I only became a real cinephile as a Screen Studies student at Clark University. I then went further into academia via the MA in Film & Media Studies at Columbia University and I am currently doing a PhD at the University of Edinburgh. I remain a movie buff at heart so I appreciate the opportunity to share some of my reviews down below. You can also find me on Academia.edu and Letterboxd.

Publications:

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
Yo No Moriré de Amor (2026) EDIT “It could have been more ambitious in its staging and style, but what matters is that Matute never loses sight of the physical and emotional toll of living with a family member suffering from Alzheimer's or another mental illness. [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro May 11, 2026 Full Review The Condor Daughter (2025) EDIT “The Condor Daughter is, without a doubt, an experience that invites us to approach the Andean world with new eyes, not only to question its harmful patriarchy but also to revalue the contributions of its women...[Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Mar 27, 2026 Full Review Calle Málaga (2025) 98% EDIT “Calle Málaga is a gentle film that begins with a simple plot that gradually becomes unpredictable, culminating in a poignant celebration of love and female sexuality in later life. [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Mar 20, 2026 Full Review The Stranger (2025) 91% EDIT “It is in the conviction of its performances, in its measured narrative pace...and in its soundtrack that Ozon's The Stranger finds its strongest arguments to establish itself as a captivating film...[Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Mar 3, 2026 Full Review The Secret Agent (2025) 98% EDIT “Unlike the traditional post-memory cinema model of I'm Still Here, The Secret Agent offers a fictional and seemingly escapist story that manages to convey a collective trauma almost imperceptibly and even gratifyingly. [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Mar 2, 2026 Full Review A Magnificent Life (2025) 60% EDIT “[Sylvain Chomet's] films may feel dated and foreign to a contemporary international audience, but their historical value is undeniable for any film enthusiast. [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Feb 2, 2026 Full Review Hamnet (2025) 87% EDIT “[Jacobi Jupe] is the film's greatest revelation and certainly a match for Buckley. [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Jan 26, 2026 Full Review Pillion (2025) 99% EDIT “With the exception of its rushed and predictable ending, Harry Lighton's film is a largely satisfying experiment that demonstrates it's still possible to innovate and subvert the conventions of the most conservative film genres...[Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Dec 3, 2025 Full Review Frankenstein (2025) 85% EDIT “[Guillermo Del Toro's] conception of the Creature and his choice of Jacob Elordi to embody it fortunately salvage this Oedipal reading of the novel...[Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Nov 10, 2025 Full Review The Mastermind (2025) 90% EDIT “...beyond an electrifying soundtrack and O'Connor's superb performance, Mastermind seems to offer a raw essay on deficient, pathetic, and narcissistic fatherhood that is more impactful than an abstract painting by Arthur Dove. [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Oct 31, 2025 Full Review Through Rocks and Clouds (2024) 40% EDIT “...its honest and empathetic look at the problems and challenges facing Cusco and much of the country makes it a must-see for Peruvians of all ages. [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Oct 17, 2025 Full Review The Prince of Nanawa (2025) EDIT “...the documentary manages to offer a compelling testimony about the fragility of future generations in a Paraguay and Latin America still lacking well-being and social solidarity. [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Aug 11, 2025 Full Review Ramón y Ramón (2024) EDIT “[The film's] contextualization of the pandemic ends up being superfluous and even offensive in relation to Andean migrants, who only serve as a fleeting reminder of the persistent and overwhelming inequality among Peruvians. [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Aug 4, 2025 Full Review Runa Simi (2025) EDIT “[Fernando] Valencia's ambition to create an official Quechua dubbing for The Lion King stands as a story as exciting and captivating as that of Simba himself. [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Jun 6, 2025 Full Review The Good Sister (2025) EDIT “The success of the film lies in an intimate, non-judgmental look that merely observes the martyrdom that the protagonist goes through when she cannot reconcile her feelings with her moral integrity. [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Feb 14, 2025 Full Review The Outrun (2024) 82% EDIT “The Outrun is a notable example of a literary adaptation that is not content with simply offering a dramatization, taking advantage of the power of its cinematic medium. [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Aug 22, 2024 Full Review Armand (2024) 73% EDIT “Tøndel does not reinvent cinematic language or dramaturgy here like his grandfather, but he honors his legacy by offering an intelligent and exciting film that, starting from a simple premise, tests the limits of human behaivor. [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Aug 19, 2024 Full Review Sing Sing (2023) 97% EDIT “Apart from being an uplifting and emotional fictional work, this film constitutes an ambitious and categorical test of the power of artistic rehabilitation and the importance of second chances. [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Aug 19, 2024 Full Review Mexico 86 (2024) 93% EDIT “Mexico 86 misses the opportunity to be a memorable cinematic tribute... [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Aug 13, 2024 Full Review MaXXXine (2024) 73% EDIT “A film that inspires a strange nostalgia for an imperfect and dangerous 80s cultural context, and for a type of shameless, perverse but ultimately entertaining and convincing cinema. [Full reivew in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Jul 17, 2024 Full Review Kinds of Kindness (2024) 71% EDIT “The stories go from more to less, the third one being the weakest even on a humoristic level, but the power of the first two compensates for it. [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Jul 8, 2024 Full Review Challengers (2024) 88% EDIT “After all, more than a bisexual erotic thriller, this is a sports romantic comedy daring enough to fit commercial sensibilities and one that a young Almodóvar would have liked to direct. [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro May 13, 2024 Full Review Queens (Reinas) (2024) 85% EDIT “... Reynicke's film stands out for its happy, warm atmosphere, and entertaining and powerful script.” – Cinencuentro Jan 25, 2024 Full Review Frida (2024) 89% EDIT “Carla Gutiérrez's documentary has at least restored the essence of the Mexican vernacular in cinema and pays sincere tribute to a woman who is essential for the understanding of contemporary art and society. [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Jan 22, 2024 Full Review 20 Days in Mariupol (2023) 100% EDIT “The dramatic soundtrack is probably the only dissonant and unnecessary component in an extremely brave and essential documentary that is dedicated to portraying the horror of a specific city and its population... [Full review in Spanish]” – Cinencuentro Jan 19, 2024 Full Review
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