Dignity
Inspired by a true story, Dignity takes us to Chile just after Pinochet’s regime, and a violent Germanic cult called Colonia Dignidad, set up by former Nazi soldier Paul Schaefer. Young federal prosecutor Leo Ramírez is to bring the sect’s leader to justice after its decades-long history of torture, child abuse and murder. Leo is also motivated by his younger brother Pedro dying there in mysterious circumstances as a child. Schaefer paid for Leo’s education in Germany to keep him quiet, but now he is ready to tear him and Colonia apart. Covering a fascinating and disturbing recent history, Marcel Rodriguez is compelling as Leo, as is Götz Otto as Schaefer, in this thrilling new Chilean drama.
La Jauría
Actor and singer Daniela Vega (who you might recognise from the Academy Award winning Chilean film ) leads the cast of Chilean drama La Jauría, which follows a team of investigators tracking a missing woman. Blanca, a student leader of the feminist movement at a local school, goes missing: hours later, a video of a group of men raping her goes viral. The investigative team – police commissioner Olivia Fernandez (Antonia Zegers), Corporal Carla Farias (María Gracia Omegna) and homicide detective Elisa Murillo (Vega) – soon discover that all the suspects belong to an online chat group called La Jauría (The Pack), a front for a gruesome game that involves a teacher, a priest, a psychologist and perhaps even Blanca’s father. What starts as a case of a missing person, soon affects the whole school community, revealing secrets of all those who, one way or another, are involved.
This confronting thriller is produced by Pablo Larrain (director of Jackie) and Juan de Dios Larrain (producer of Jackie and A Fantastic Woman).
Invisible Heroes
Based on a true story, Invisible Heroes takes us to Santiago, Chile in 1973. Augusto Pinochet has just overthrown the president in a bloody military coup, throwing the populace into fear and turmoil. At the time, Tapani Brotherus was working as a Finnish diplomat and enjoying the expat lifestyle with his wife Lysa. But when people literally start climbing the walls into their compound, desperate for help, he ignores all diplomatic protocol and instructions from above, helping ensure safe passage to Europe for over 2,000 Chilean citizens.
This multilingual political thriller from Finland in collaboration with Chile is utterly captivating, highlighting what can happen when individuals choose to act from a moral rather than policy standpoint. Pelle Heikkilä () stars as Tapani, and real-life wife Sophia Heikkilä plays Lysa.
Mary and Mike
Mary and Mike sheds light on a horrendous time in Chilean history. It focuses on two special agents Mary (Mariana Loyola) and Mike (Andrés Rillón), who are assigned to take out those who are in opposition to dictator Augusto Pinochet (a name you will remember from Invisible Heroes above – Pinochet was dictator of Chile from 1973 to 1990). To do this undetected, they adopt the guise of an everyday couple with two children. Mary is a writer and schmoozes with the cultural elite, Mike has a penchant for electronics, which comes in handy when torturing victims in the family garage, even while his son’s birthday party takes place in the backyard.
Based on a real-life pair, they were dubbed the most dangerous couple in Latin America. If this wasn’t based on real events, one might indeed find this double life unbelievable.
Inspector Rojas: In Cold Blood
Captain Rojas (Francisco Melo) arrives in northern Chile from Santiago to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a group of teenage girls in Alto Hospicio. The local police officer assigned to be his partner regurgitates the official theory that the girls left of their own accord. However, Rojas’ investigation, combined with the disappearance of a local fisherman’s daughter, uncovers the disturbing truth about a trafficking ring. This compelling thriller, packed with twists and mystery, is based on the real-life case of the Alto Hospicio Psychopath that occurred in the north of Chile in the late 1990s.
Chile Cinema
A Fantastic Woman
Marina and Orlando are in love and planning for the future. Marina is a young waitress and aspiring singer. Orlando is 20 years older than her, and owns a printing company. After celebrating Marina’s birthday one evening, Orlando falls seriously ill. Marina rushes him to the emergency room, but he passes away just after arriving at the hospital. Instead of being able to mourn her lover, suddenly Marina is treated with suspicion.
Lina From Lima
A woman travels from Peru to Chile to work as a maid for a wealthy family. Ten years later, Lina prepares to spend Christmas in her old home, in the company of her son Junior. At once a delightful renovation of the musical comedy and a timely examination of the realities of migrant labour, the inventive debut fiction feature from Chilean director María Paz González tackles weighty themes with a light touch and a saucy sense of humour. Most remarkable are the moments when Lina's humble surroundings transform into soundstages upon which she bursts into songs that fuse Peruvian folk music with music-video tropes. Lina From Lima is a rare film that can bring razzle-dazzle to serious issues with grace, humour, and absolute compassion.
Rey
In 1860, a French adventurer established a kingdom in an independent region of southern Chile, uniting the native Mapuche. The Chilean army’s response was devastating. At least, that’s one version of this true story. Or, was he a French spy? Banished? Died but somehow returned? In Rey, the tension between history and memory materialise in the degradation of image and sound. The film is an odyssey through a land of fantasies and dreams.
Streaming on SBS On Demand until 30 April 2021.
Gloria
Gloria is a 58-year-old divorcée. Her children have all left home but she has no desire to spend her days and nights alone. Determined to defy old age and loneliness, she rushes headlong into a whirl of singles’ parties on the hunt for instant gratification – which just leads repeatedly to disappointment and emptiness. But then she meets Rodolfo, an ex-naval officer seven years her senior to whom she feels romantically inclined. She even begins to imagine a permanent relationship. However, the encounter presents unexpected challenges and Gloria gradually finds herself being forced to confront her own dark secrets.
