Film Review: Chile '76 | Dir. Manuela Martelli
Film Still of Chile ‘76 © Kino Lorber
Written by Belle McIntyre
I find significance in the spate of films focused on the impact of authoritarianism on people from all different socio-economic levels. Nazi Germany has been the most mined vein for decades, but as tyrannical dictatorships appear to be on the upswing globally, thoughtful filmmakers appear to be exploring documented experiences from other countries and with issues which arise when the oppression over an entire country is differently felt and warps perceptions. This film is right up there with Argentina – 1985, and deals with the early time of the Pinochet regime, which terrorized and fragmented the country for almost two decades.
Film Still of Chile ‘76 © Kino Lorber
The picture that emerges is a portrait of Carmen, a smartly-dressed, well-to-do doctor’s wife, mother and grandmother with a residence in Santiago, Chile and a beach house in the environs. She is renovating and redecorating when the film opens, picking out paint colors from a travel brochure. When sounds erupt outside which can only be understood as some act of official brutality, her initial concern is dampened by the action of the shop owner who opts to shut the gate and block out the whole incident. The paint is mixed and that is that. But there are signs that Carmen is not as pulled-together as she appears. She has sleep problems, self-medicates and there are references to some previous breakdown. Yet she runs a tight ship with a family gathering at the beach house, which includes her two sibling children and three grandchildren. Her husband is a respected doctor who is seemingly aligned with the current government which Carmen is, emphatically not. But she keeps her opinions to herself.
Film Still of Chile ‘76 © Kino Lorber
When she is convinced by her friend Father Sanchez to take in to her home an injured young man who is in danger from the authorities, she is able to revisit her experience as a Red Cross medical volunteer. She somehow manages to keep his presence from being noticed by her family members. But she gets deeply brought in touch with the truth of the Pinochet regime as she discovers who the young man is and how seriously he is threatened. Her empathy overrides her self preservation instincts as she takes on several dangerous clandestine meetings with associates of the young man in the resistance. The tension builds continually and keeps one on the edge of the seat.
Film Still of Chile ‘76 © Kino Lorber
It is an impressive directorial debut from Manuela Martelli, a former actor. She creates mood and menace with recurring motifs, such as color and koi fish, but most powerfully with the music of Mariá Portugal. She utilizes strange percussive sounds and discordant electronic melodies. The most impressive element is the performance by Aline Küpenheim who carries the narrative forward in such a naturalistic manner as to be completely enthralling. She is an actor with innate charisma and great empathy. The movie will keep you in its thrall.
Film Still of Chile ‘76 © Kino Lorber
