Chile ’76 is set during one of the bloodiest years of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. But that is only part of the story in filmmaker Manuela Martelli’s feature debut. Carmen (Aline Kuppenheim, A Fantastic Woman) leads a comfortable middle class life at her summer home. One day, the family priest asks her to watch over an injured man he has been sheltering. Carmen is soon pulled into the world of Chilean politics, the results of which may have disastrous effects on her family.
The tightly wound film introduces tension in its opening moments – even if it has little effect on Carmen. As the intentionally sheltered housewife carefully considers what coat of paint she should use for her summer house, a woman’s screams are heard in the background. Though Carmen is unaffected by what is happening, it sets up the anxiety and paranoia that will become more palatable as Chile ’76 progresses.
Martelli co-wrote the suspenseful script with (Alejandra Moffat, The Wolf House). The ever-present danger is rarely on obvious display; it is in the comments made by the people Carmen knows and the strangers that she encounters. In Chile ’76, no one can be trusted, which keeps the audiences on pins and needles. Every action and comment is filled with trepidation and distrust. The entire movie walks the line between a woman trying to live her life and attempting to stay alive.
Chile ’76 starts off as a character study and slowly morphs into a taut political thriller. The mystery takes more of a central focus, but Carmen is never left behind. Her character grows as her world changes and there is a real sense of development. Equal parts frightening and tragic, it is a stellar viewing experience.
Chile ’76 opens May 5 at the Film at Lincoln Center and IFC Center in NYC followed by its nationwide expansion
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