Machuca

Machuca

Gonzalo and Pedro are from opposite extremes of society, yet they form a very tight bond.  Gonzalo knows what it means to be picked on by peers, and I feel he relates to Pedro in this area.  He feels sorry for Pedro.  He wants to experience life through Pedro's eyes.  He goes to the demonstrations with Pedro's family.  Each family puts down the other child, but the boys stand by each other.  They do not care about social class or skin color. 

There are vast differences between the poor and rich social classes of Chile.  The poor had nothing at all.  They lived in a shack village and had a community out house for a bath room.  The rich could purchase whatever they wanted from the black market.  They had nice homes with house hold help.  They had the luxury of moving to a different country if things were not going well in Chile, while the poor were herded up like cattle for the slaughter.

The main thrust of the film was the political upheaval that many Spanish countries experience every day.   It brought home the stark reality of living in a world where the people have no voice.  It put faces to the stories you hear in the news.  I am not a socialist and would not want communist to take over, but is the military government any better?  I think not.