Extirpator of Idolatries
2014 film directed by Manuel Siles
Extirpator of Idolatries (Spanish: Extirpador de idolatrías) is a 2014 Peruvian thriller drama film written and directed by Manuel Siles, completed in 2014 and released commercially in Peru in 2016.
Plot
The police detective Waldo, of circumspect disposition and temper, investigates several crimes associated with indigenous rituals that occur in some regions of the Peruvian Andes. There a boy and a girl who are about to enter puberty begin to interact with certain mythical beings, a supernatural belief very common in many Andean villages. A sinister character (the “Extirpator of Idolatries”), pretending to be on a mission of faith, but imbued with religious dogmatism and intolerance, interrupts this peaceful scene as he casts an ominous shadow over these ancient Peruvian beliefs. Although Waldo’s boss considers him inferior and distrusts his methods, the policeman continues his efforts to capture the “Extirpator of Idolatries”. At the same time, Waldo will resolve his own inner conflict which has troubled him all his life.
Cast
Oswaldo Salas as police detective Waldo Mamani / Mythical creature
Magaly Solier as mother of the boy
Augusto Casafranca as extirpator of idolatries / Mythical creature
Paulina Bazán as the girl
Diego Yupanqui as the boy
Renato Gianoli as chief police
Oscar Ludeña as police deputy / Mythical creature
Fiorella Flores as TV journalist
Amiel Cayo as shaman / Mythical creature
Julián Vargas as innkeeper
Firelei Barreda as widow
Ana Arce as mother of the girl / Mythical creature
Diana Castro as victim
Reception
Critical response
Extirpador of idolatries had a positive reception from audiences and critics at international film festivals, winning thirty two awards, and obtaining nine nominations. Peruvian critics praised the film after its premiere in Lima, film critic Sebastián Pimentel of the newspaper El Comercio calls it "a new title among the best of Peruvian cinema in recent years." He praises the work of the leading actor ("great Oswaldo Salas") and the director ("Siles has assimilated well a modern film tradition that goes beyond Europe - come to mind 'Antonio das Mortes' of the Brazilian Glauber Rocha, even the most contemporary films by Claudia Llosa, through the cinema of the Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul - As in the cases cited, far from verbalizing facts, Siles explores affections, beliefs, imaginaries, the latter taking the form of dreams or hallucinations that challenge the realism of what we see "). He considers it one of the 20 best commercial premieres in Peru in 2016, being one of only three Peruvian films included in the list. In the newspaper La República, the film critic Federico de Cárdenas qualifies it with 4 stars out of 5, describing it as "valuable opera prima", praises photography ("remarkable photography and camera of Marco Antonio Alvarado") and Magaly Solier's performance.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Extirpator of Idolatries” as 2014 film directed by Manuel Siles. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as 2014 film directed by Manuel Siles. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q25819555. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2014 and 2016.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Extirpator of Idolatries”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Extirpator of Idolatries primary sources, Extirpator of Idolatries archive and Extirpator research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Extirpator of Idolatries”?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Extirpator of Idolatries” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.