Junior Béjar: ‘The fight does not only happen in the ring, but in life’

In ‘Chichero’, migration, historical memory and the search for a better life intersect in the story of Josué, a young Peruvian who flees violence and arrives in Panama with the dream of becoming a boxer.

Peruvian actor Júnior Bejar, who plays the protagonist of Aaron Bromley’s film and Arturo Montenegrospoke with The Star of Panama about the challenge of playing a character marked by terrorism in his country, his encounter with Panamanian reality and a story that, beyond borders, raises a reflection on resilience and the need to find a home.

I loved it. I received this script in 2020 and, from the first moment, the theme of migration, which I think is super universal, caught my attention. We are all, in some way, migrants.

That moment of leaving a space you call home and going to another where you are going to build a new home seemed important to me. It was also crucial that ‘Chichero’ portrayed historical, political and social events, such as the time of terrorism in my country and the reality of the dictatorship in Panama.

For me it was beautiful to accept this project. I had to train to learn how to box and handle weapons, and that is an acting enjoyment. I love living, in some way, other lives.

I wouldn’t say the challenge as something negative, but quite the opposite: I loved it. I like those projects where one explores limits and questions that have depth.

I think ‘Chichero’ talks about resilience, which is the ability of human beings to adapt to a given circumstance. There is a very interesting synergy so that the world can also feel it and make the film their own.

Josué starts out as a calm and shy character, but that shyness accompanies him as he becomes tougher due to the complicated situations he begins to experience related to terrorism and his family.

He is forcibly taken into the army and has to move away from his family at a very young age. Then you must make the decision to go somewhere else to achieve your dreams.

I think that daring as an actor, with an experience and maturity that I continue to cultivate, has been pleasant for me because I have already learned to approach a character in a different way.

It is my second leading role and I have already made five films. My first leading role was in my first film and it was a totally new and complex experience. Now I think I have a maturity that I continue to cultivate to tackle different characters. This role was, for me, a gift.

I am from Ayacucho, in the mountains of Peru, where terrorism began. The first attack that the Shining Path carried out occurred an hour from my town. My land was one of those that suffered the most massacres.

There were massacres of residents and innocent people. It was a crossed game between the army and the terrorist group, and those left in the middle were the inhabitants of the towns.

That’s why I emphasize that the film has the audacity to put these historical events on film. It is important to have memory, to redefine why we are the way we are and what we should not repeat.

For me, as an artist and communicator, it is important to know where I am, what my territory is and where I stand. Artists communicate and, from that, my communication becomes conscious to decide how to channel what I want to do with my art.

I know the history of terrorism in my country. I even made a film about the rescue and had seen documentaries. I believe that a human being has to know what context he is in and what his land is in order to be able to look towards the horizon.

It surprised me too. I didn’t know about that.

Aarón told me about it and, during the film process, I spent a couple of days with a chichero. I got to know his workshop and accompanied him to sell chichas and empanadas.

We also went to a chicheros event where they got together and told me stories of that type. That is impressive because in Peru I had not heard or found that type of thing in a history book.

I think the premiere will also be important to open new possibilities and new perspectives on our history and who we are as Latin Americans.

I believe that migration even becomes a natural state of the human being. We are all migrating in some way. You don’t necessarily have to move from one country to another.

I am from the mountains of my country and I had to move to Lima to be able to study. So, we are always migrating, moving.

Migration is inherent to human beings and is a current issue. I think that this universal theme is what makes ‘Chichero’ have important ingredients. It has started strong with Panama’s candidacy for the Oscars and the Goya.

For me it wasn’t that much of a surprise because when I read the script and spoke with Arturo, Andy and Aarón, I considered that the film had important ingredients that could take it to an attractive festival circuit.

I think it is important to look at ourselves, not look outside, to create.

Throughout my career I have become more aware of that. I had the opportunity, with my first film, to go to the Spirit Awards in Los Angeles and learn about the industry that exists, but you also have to ask yourself what is around you: who I am and where I come from.

Latin America is an infinite region in creation. From my experience in the cinema of my country, there are many stories that deserve to be seen and told.

I have also been discovering the importance of not exoticizing the misery and poverty that Europe often sees in Latin America. The stories in our region are truly human. The miserable does not have to be exoticized.

I have also heard that more films are being released and produced in Central America, and it is important to do so. From doing we will discover where we are heading.

I think that Peru and Panama make a very interesting contrast in this film: Peru, with its landscapes and mountains, and Panama, with the tropics, sweat and heat. It is a visually beautiful journey.

I believe that the fight does not only take place in a ring, but in life. It’s also a bit of what ‘Chichero’ talks about.

Something that catches my attention about dreams is the link with Eduardo Galeano’s idea of ​​utopia: you advance two steps and utopia advances another two. You never reach it, but what is it for? To move forward.

That advance can lead you to an unsuspected dream and that dream to another. I think that happens to Joshua. And that is also life. There isn’t an arc where you reach an end and that’s it. You are on the road, you find another direction and finally something you did not suspect.

I think that is Joshua’s journey and that it will resonate with the eyes of the world because it is a universal story.

For me it was impressive. First, for the technical team. When they went to film there in Peru, I was very impressed by their efficiency.

It’s like playing soccer with your friends: when you already know each other, you play from memory.

I was surprised one afternoon when we went to visit a museum with the entire team and, the next day, they decided to do a scene that was not in the shooting plan. We finished the tour, they started organizing it and the next day they went to record.

There were also days when we finished filming with plenty of time and advanced scenes for the next day. Generally that doesn’t happen in productions.

The efficiency of that team, which is now in its seventh film working together, Aarón, Andy and Arturo, impressed me, as did the way we got along.

And with my Panamanian teammates it was also very special. Panama is a hug. He received me in a very nice way.

It’s not just me saying it. Many migrants I have spoken with find that blessed word called home in Panama.