Thank you, Paraguay, for entering a comedy. The premise of The Gold Seekers is that during Paraguay’s disastrous 1864-1870 “Great War,” which led to the deaths of almost 70% of the population through fighting or disease, many people buried treasure, some of them of legendary value. Manu is a teenager who does his share to support his struggling family by delivering newspapers by bicycle. Manu’s grandfather, rendered mute by a stroke, gives Manu a book in which is slipped a map, presumably leading to buried treasure. Manu enlists the aid of his best friend, Fito, and longtime buried treasure aficionado Don Elio. Their quest for the second half of the map leads them to raid a grave. They conclude that the treasure is buried on the grounds of the embassy of an African country. Their attempt to gain access to the embassy leads them to either struggle against or confide in a series of comic characters. The Gold Seekers does touch upon serious issues, such as urban poverty and the legacy of the war, also known as The War of the Triple Alliance. But it is, thank goodness, basically a heist comedy.
