How small lives can be affected when there is a chaos or to say how small lives are affected by big-brainy ideas- communism and capitalism.
Director : Andres Wood
Starring : Ariel Mateluna, Matías Quer, Manuela Martelli
Country : Chile
Year : 2004
Notable Dialogue from the film.
Pedro’ Father (pointing Gonzalo to Pedro): Who’s that ?Pedro: A Friend
Father: A friend, right. Some friends you have
Movies with the backdrop of political history, always absorbs me. I get thrilled to watch a movie which has a thin line of politics in background.
Machuca, is one such film, based on the Chilean civil war, which is followed by the military coup. But, when you see the posters of this picture, you won’t feel so, right? Yes, this is a sort of a coming-of-age mixed with politics. What will happen to a friendship between two kids from different classes of society, when the rest of the society is fighting for a cause?
Plot
1973, Chile is under the rule of Salvador Allede, a Marxist government. The country is under a civil war, capitalist Vs communist. Gonzalo, an upper class kid, is studying St. Patrick English School, one of the finest in Santiago.
Father McEnrow, who runs the school, is more leaned towards socialistic ideas. He admits under-privileged kids from the near-by ghetto to study in the school along with the upper-class kids. Here is where Gonzalo meets Pedro Machuca. They instantly gel together, Gonzalo, experiences the ghetto life and so Pedro sees how lavishly Gonzalo and his family lives. Gonzalo, befriends Silvana, a neighbor of Pedro, she is assisting her father in selling flags and cigarettes in demonstrations.
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| Ariel Mateluna ( Pedro Machuca ) and Matías Quer ( Gonzalo ) |
Little bit of innocent romantic making-out runs in between, Pedro-Silvana- Gonzalo.
With the civil war at its peak, the demonstrations turn into violent protests. The country’ President Salvador Allede kills himself. Military takes over the country. Rules are changed, communists and their ideology is trashed. Father McEnrow is expelled and so are some students.
In the midst of this disorder, Gonzalo goes see Pedro in the ghetto; there the military is ransacking the ghetto for siding with communists. Silvana is shot dead, when the military tries to expel them. Horrified by seeing this Gonzalo is pulled by a solider, who asks him to get into the van. To escape from there he uses his upper class symbols like the expensive shoes, dress and his hair style to this soldier and virtually disowning their friendship. While no change or harm in Gonzalo family life-style, he returns to see only a deserted place where Pedro Machuca and his people lived.
The film doesn't go preach, nor doesn't it say who is right or wrong. It just presents, how small lives can be affected when there is a chaos or to say how small lives are affected by big-brainy ideas- communism and capitalism.
Directed by Andres Wood, the film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 84th Academy Award, but didn't win it. According to IMDb user, lm_amethyst74, the movie depicts the realistic version of the time of 1973.
Notable Dialogue from the film.
Pedro’ Father (pointing Gonzalo to Pedro): Who’s that ?Pedro: A Friend
Father: A friend, right. Some friends you have
Father: In ten years, your friend here- will be working at his daddy's company.
Father: And you'll still be cleaning toilets.
Father: In 15 years, your friend will own his daddy's company. And you? Take a guess.
Father: And you'll still be cleaning toilets.
Father: In 15 years, your friend will own his daddy's company. And you? Take a guess.
Trailer
Check out other Spanish Language films in FilmBulb
Alamar - 2009 - www.filmbulb.blogspot.com/2013/02/alamar-mexico-2009.html
800 Balas - 2002 - www.filmbulb.blogspot.com/2013/09/800-balas-spain-2002.html
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