Peruvian society—and much of Latin America—is shaped by a series of quiet paradoxes that often go unnoticed. Family structures are frequently marked by absent fathers, half-siblings from different households, and the normalization of child labor. These conditions create childhood experiences that many people later recall with humor or even pride, seen as signs of resilience rather than wounds.

Yet those early contradictions rarely disappear. These scars follow people into adulthood, shaping their relationships, their sense of responsibility, and often the mistakes they repeat, even when those who carry them try to deny or minimize them.

I grew up surrounded by adults bearing such scars, including my own father. His past—like that of many men of his generation—deeply influenced the way he understood fatherhood, and in turn the way I experienced it.

My attempt to understand him, and the social reality that shaped him, is what ultimately led me to make Miguel. Through it, I try to reflect on the ironies that define so many family histories in Peru, and the way pain can coexist with unexpected acts of compassion. In exploring those contradictions, the film became for me a way of honoring and trying to understand both my father and myself.