Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9306 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-24
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: Spanish
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 121 minutes

Synopsis
Set in autumn of 1973, amidst the backdrop of chaotic political upheaval, the Chilean film MACHUCA grounds a heartwrenching coming-of-age tale in a traumatic socio-historical moment. Directed by Andres Wood, a Chilean-born, NYU-schooled filmmaker of astonishing talent, the film unfolds through the eyes of Gonzalo, a quiet 12-year-old boy from an upscale Santiago suburb. With his freckled cheeks and bowl haircut, Gonzalo resembles Bud Cort in HAROLD AND MAUDE, awkward and wise beyond his years. When the idealistic headmaster of his private boys school, Father McEnroe, accepts a few poor children on scholarship, Gonzalo finds himself drawn to Machuca, an intense yet warm boy from the slums of the city. After accompanying Machuca and his uncle to sell paraphernalia at two political rallies--one advocating the socialist government of Salvador Allende and the other calling for its overthrow--Gonzalo becomes a fixture in Machuca's life. In a memorable scene involving condensed milk, the two boys even share their first messy kiss with the same girl, a hardened yet spirited neighbour of Machuca. Amidst the blossoming of a life-altering friendship are constant hints of the political turmoil and class polarisation that are disrupting the boys' country. When President Allende is eventually overthrown in a violent military coup, the youths must face the irreparable divide of their divergent socioeconomic positions. Richly written and performed as a textured relationship with elements of homoeroticism, the sentiments of friendship, love, and growing up are universal, yet they are certainly not timeless. Here, at least, they cannot transcend the conditions that surround them.

Customer Reviews

Just like back in the day
This film is really good! I watched the film with my mother who is Chilean and had to leave Chile when the military coup happened in 1973. She said the film is exactly like things used to be back then. There loads of funny parts and really sad ones too! I would recommend this film to anyone who is intrested in World Politics or like watching Foriegn/Cultural films. A really good watch!!!

Class Struggle in Chile
"Machuca" will undoubtedly turn out to be the seminal film about the democratic Marxist revolution that took place in Chile in the early Seventies which was subsequently destroyed by Pinochet's CIA backed military junta . "Machuca" conveys superbly the bitter class hatred that developed under Allende's rule; a period where the Chilean poor asserted themselves socially under a sympathetic government ,while the bourgeoisie fretted about having their property expropriated and nationalised. This class struggle is ,appropriately enough, played out mainly in a class of an elite Catholic boys school in Santiago , where, under the tutelage of a radical priest , a substantial number of poor children from the "barrios" are introduced into the school. This leads to class conflict in the class, but also to a close friendship between a rich boy ,Gonzalo , and a poor boy, Machuca, which ultimately ends in tragedy, as anyone with a knowledge of Chilean history at that time would expect. "Machuca" is not only a political and social commentary about a dramatic historical period, but it is also an exceptional "coming of age" tale that portrays close friendships, first loves and family relationships very realistically and accurately. The acting from the young cast is excellent , as is the cinematography. There are many memorable scenes and images in "Machuca" , a left wing film that exposes liberal democracy as merely a dainty facade for naked class rule ,which is totally expendable if the interests of the ruling class are directly threatened.

Worth watching!
This isn't a political film although set in the midst of political events which is the 1973 military coup in Chile and the months preceding it. The turmoil in the country reaching a boiling point is clearly visible in protests and shortages of food and in news real showing Marxist president Allende in Moscow greeting his totalitarian friends. The director succeeds in creating a clear image of the situation as it was back in 1973 without propaganda which would have jeopardized the artistic integrity of the movie. Don't brand it as a "leftist" film it isn't.

What stands out is friendship that reaches beyond class barriers, a coming of age saga of three youngsters that eventually become the victims of the situation in their country as it reaches its climax in a bitter hatred of "them" and "us". It is sad and heartbreaking.

The young actors do an outstanding job I might add and cast you in their net with their sincere performances which alone makes the film worth watching.