Machuca

Machuca addresses the historical era of Pinochet's rule, who took power of Chile on September 11, 1973. Before Pinochet took control of Chile Salvador Allende was in control. Allende has a longstanding tradition of democratic elections. He gave the people hope and opportunity for social change. This all ended the day Pinochet took office. During the time Allende was in office, Chile was a prosperous country; Latin America model by mid-1960s: 30-35% of the upper and middle classes and even more were in the cities. 84% of the nation were literate. Yet poor rural distribution of land. Salvador Allende was elected to office in 1970. He was a Marxist, medical doctor, and politically quite radical. Within a year, state took over various privately-owned industrial plants. The state realized lower profits to raise workers' wages by as much as 50%, while also carefully controlling inflation. They also help prices down. State expropriated the country's major copper mines (and major source of wealth)-owned by U.S. companies. Allende while in office had plans for land redistribution etc. By 1971, the U.S. had committed $8 million in CIA funds to the support of Allende's opponents. The U.S. supported the paralyzing strike of truckers, the infiltration of a newspaper-El Mercurio-that began then to continually publish denunciations of the Allende government. The U.S. cut off loans to Chile and pushed other western countries to do so as well.

The evidence of the political climate is obvious. At the beginning of the movie Allende visits Soviet Union, there are shots of leftist and rightist newspapers, "NO CIVIL WAR" signs and Gonzalo's family is stockpiling supplies and food. Pre-coup effects are politicas split Gonzalo's family and ultimately split Gonzalo and Machuca. Machuca benefits from the Allende presidency. This angers some parents at school. But Allende's presidency creates hardship for Gonzalo's family.

There is quite a difference in the appearance of our two main characters Gonzalo Infante and Pedro Machuca. Gonzalo has nice clothing, is nicely dressed, attends elite boys' school, is fair-skinned, reads Lone Ranger comics (which come from his whore of a mother's boyfriend), and who is also initially unaware of the poverty in Chile. Machuca on the other hand only has one set of clothing, lives in a makeshift home in the poorest neighborhood, is darker-skinned, and is forced to work after school to help provide for his family. Although their appearances are different, they both have very similar views and character traits. Both boys are somewhat innocent at first, in contrast to Silvana especially who is a neighbor of Machuca's. They are willing to cross social classes for a friendship and above all they are non-judgemental, which is more than their respective family members. Especially Gonzalo's mother, Gonzalo's sister's boyfriend, and Silvana.

One of the key moments in the film are when new students are introduced in the to Gonzalo's class. Father McEnroe encourages the boys to make them feel welcome, but it is apparent that this isn't going to happen. One of the boys says that the new students is the son of the maid. Even as classmates Gonzalo is picked on. We see this in the courtyard when his sandwich is stolen by the young asshole of the movie. The bully intentially pits Gonzalo against Machuca and Gonzalo won't hit him, which only makes their friendship that much stronger. As a result the bully and his friends begin calling Machuca and Gonzalo faggots. Gosh kids are mean! I would've chased after them and hit them. As I said before, Gonzalo's mother is a cheating whore. This is another moment where the two boys bond again. Gonzalo's mother forgets to pick him up from school and Machuca offers to give him a ride home. Here is the point were the political rallies and protests solidify the boys' friendship. At one of the rallies we see Gonzalo's mother, she is speaking to her daughter's boyfriend who got cigarettes from Silvana and didn't pay. Silvana being the little firecracker that she is spit on the car. Here goes the fight...DING DING DING! This is a turning point in the movie. Gonzalo sees this and runs away. He witnesses his mother verbally and physically attack his friend.

At the end of the movie when the troops are in Machuca's neighborhood and one of the troops tries to keep Gonzalo there he points out that he isn't from there. He tells him to look at his clothes! He is wearing clothes that reflect his wealth. In Machuca's eyes this is the ULTIMATE BETRAYAL! Machuca's family is thrown out of their home, Silvana is shot for attacking a member of the military while trying to defend and protect her father.

City of God

City of God, directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund and starring Alexandre Rodrigeues as Rocket, Phellipe Haagensen as Benny, Douglas Silva as Li'l Dice, and Matheus Nachtergaele as Carrot was released in 2002. You would think that Rio de Janeiro would be a vacation destination, and maybe you're right, as long as you don't get lost in the City of God. Known as one of the worst favelas, an informal neighborhood, in Rio during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. This historical era is presented through the eyes of our main character Rocket. He has a bias opinion of the world he lives in, for he doesn't want to be apart of it but doesn't have a way out at first.

As the movie starts we see a mad dash for a runaway chicken! Boys of all ages are chasing this chicken, carrying guns. In what world do we allow boys this young to carry guns. Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the drug and gun trafficking world. Stuck in the street with all guns pointed at him it the main character Rocket, who loves to take pictures. "A picture could change my life." Let us rewind and introduce Clipper, Goose, and Shaggy. These are "The Tender Trio" who are legendary in the City of God. They three of them run this town. Although this is before the drug scene gets very popular. "The Tender Trio" mainly are responsible for robberies. As we see they go after the gasoline truck, they rob the hotel (the idea of Li'l Zé) and other petty crimes. Rocket comments; "Having a hood for a brother sucked." He didn't want to be a hood or a policeman because he was scared of being shot. He wanted to have a career as a photographer.

Rocket as a young boy

Rocket grown up

As the boys grow up we see a change in power. Li'l Zé kills Rocket's older brother Goose, who is running from the police after sleeping with a man's wife while selling fish. Goose thought that after the motel robbery Li'l Zé "was a goner", although this wasn't the case. We later find out that the murders at the motel were the direct result of Li'l Zé finally getting his opportunity to use his gun and quench his thirst to kill. Now Li'l Zé is Li'l Dice and is the head of the drug business in the City of God along with his partner Benny who has been his friend since childhood. Watching these two throughout the movie I was only annoyed. Not only do they not have a soul to speak of they are simply ignorant to anything but the love of money, power, and drugs. They will do anything and everything to remain on top. Maybe it is because I personally have never had to experience any type of hardship like this in my life, but killing people out of spite is something I will never understand.

Li'l Dice

Benny

Carrot

Our key messages are that you have to work for everything you have. Even the dealers work for what they have. As young boys they worked for what they had. They started out as runners and were paid accordingly, and continued to move up. They didn't care if it meant stealing or killing. They wanted to be in charge. That was the end goal. Rocket did they same. He bought a cheap camera and at first only took pictures of his friend in hopes that one day he would have a big break. After his pictures made in on the front page of the newspaper and Li'l Dice said that everyone was starting to see that he was very important and wasn't anyone to mess with Rocket started to take more pictures. This was his out, his big break. The film I believe was a success. It followed the readings pretty close to what actually happened. Good news is that now Rio is in much better shape than it was during this time period.

In chapter seven of Janice Perlman's book it states, "They [the militias] control everything; they impose curfews; they make you pay for coming and going in your own community...If you don't do what they say, they shoot you-not to wound but to kill. That's their way." This was not shown in the movie at all. "Once again, the favela residents have traded one fear for another. Where fear of removal was replaced by fear of the drug traffic, now fear of the drug traffic has been replaced by fear of the militias." In fact the "militias" were owned by the drug dealers. They helped cover up what was actually going on. The only fear in the City of God was the drug dealers! It is not surprising that the police in Rio are violent and corrupt. They are underpaid and afraid. Many of them grew up in and still live in favelas themselves.  For many, joining the police force was an attempt to gain respect. When police are not respected, they intimidate.

Janice also gives us a list of essential ingredients for the feijoada: 1. Stigmatized territories within the city that are excluded from state protection; 2. inequality levels among the highest in the world; 3. a high-priced illegal commodity with the alchemist's allure of turning poverty into wealth; 4. well-organized, well-connected drug gangs and networks; 5. easy access to sophisticated weaponry; 6. un underpaid, understaffed, unaccountable police force; 7. a weak government indifferent to "the rule of the law"; 8. independent militias and vigilante groups who can kill at will; 9. a powerless population of over 3 million people in poverty; and 10. a sensationalist mass media empire fomenting fear to sell advertising and justify police brutality.

The Motorcycle Diaries

The Motorcycle Diaries directed by Walter Salles starring Gael García Bernal as Ernesto Guevara de la Serna and Rodrigo De la Serna as Alberto Granado was released in 2004. Walter Salles's film addresses the historical journey of Che Guevara's travels from 1951-1952. This event is present in an amazing journey on a motorcycle! If you were a medical student and very close to graduating, would you just put that on hold to travel the country of South America? This is exactly what Ernesto "Che" Guevara, initially motivated by curiosity and a desire to travel, and his close friend Alberto Granado did. They set out on the adventure of a lifetime. Starting out in Buenos Aires, Argentina and visiting among other places, the Atacama Desert, Cuzco (the former Inca capital), Machu Picchu, Lima, and a leper colony at San Pablo, Peru. After saying goodbye to Ernesto's family, the two embark on "The Mighty One", Alberto's old Morton 500 motorcycle.

Ernesto

Alberto

The Map of Their ADVENTURE!!!

Ernesto and Alberto arrive at their first stop at Ernesto's girlfriend's, Chichina, house and her upper-class family are living in Miramar, Argentina. Alberto asks upon their arrival; "Where the heck are we? Switzerland?" In San Martin de Los Andes, Argentina the two lose their tent during a storm and are forced to sleep in a barn, which at first they are highly opposed to. I mean hello they are doctors. Doctors don't sleep in barns. Not to mention, their host isn't the kindest or most welcoming. When Ernesto and Alberto make it to Bariloche they set up an idealistic clinic. Honest to a fault Ernesto reveals to a potential host that he has a tumor, which could cost the two a place to stay.

Off to Chile we go! Here is where "The Mighty One" breaks down, and considering neither Ernesto nor Alberto have any money they have to devise a plan to get the motorcycle fixed. They agree to give an interview at the local paper to attract good favor with the locals. In Temuco, Chile is where the fun starts! The owner of the local shop agrees to fix the bike. After all, he is helping out heroes! Little did he know that Alberto was going to make a move on his wife at that party that night. These actions resulted in a mob trying to attack our main characters, an attack which they barely escaped. After a good run, "The Mighty One" finally is put to rest in Valparaiso, Chile. Okay, we would love to say that it was due to mechanical error, but oh no. It was cows. YES! I said COWS! MOOOOO! No worries the two continue their adventure by hitchhiking.

A key moment in the journey is when they meet a couple of miners who are persecuted for their communist beliefs. This shows a change in the journey for Ernesto and he realizes how he and Alberto are wealthy and don't have to worry about the troubles of the world. Guevara sought to distance himself from the tourist masses, consciously opting for practice of travel that marked him as a non-tourist. This option, Elena suggests, reflected a distinctive position vis-a-vis the nationalism that Peronism south to champion. Like other Argentines of social class, including members of his own family , Guevara was skeptical of Juan Perón, however, he recognized more readily than most that Peronism brought real material and symbolic benefits to the Argentine poor. But in choosing to travel beyond the borders of his native country, Guevara tacitly rejected Perón's narrow nationalism in favor of a more expansive motion that reflected an embrace of pan-Americanism as the basis of his awakening anti-imperialism. The following day Ernesto and Alberto follow the miners to the Chuquicamata Mine where they hope to be picked for work. Seeing the mine workers treated like livestock puts Ernesto into a rage like no other. This causes him to act against Anacond, the mine foreman.

On their final stop of the journey Ernesto and Alberto arrive in San Pablo, Peru at a leper colony. Here it is clear to see a separation of society. The doctors reside on the north side of the Amazon while the lepers reside on the south side of the Amazon. Forming bonds with the lepers Ernesto refuses to wear gloves and touches their hands with his bare hands. He takes the occasion of a birthday party to make his first political speech and and here he shares his pan-American ideas. In the most amazing scene of the movie he braves his asthma and the currents of the river and swims across to spend the evening with lepers. I believe this solidifies the success of the film. 

El Infierno

El Infierno directed and written by Luis Estrada, starring Damián Alcázar as Benny García and Joaquín Cosio as El Cochiloco was released in theaters in 2010. All aboard the CRAZY TRAIN. Our movie addresses the concerns about violence in Mexico. The drug trafficking, organized crime, and violence in Mexico.

El Infierno follows the story of Benny Garcia (Damián Alcázar), a man who leaves his mother and younger brother to emigrate to the United States. Twenty years later, we meet Benny as he’s being deported back to Mexico. “Please move along,” says the American border guard. “And never come back.” From the land of opportunity to his gang-torn homeland, Benny comes back to find that things have changed. His brother had become, before his untimely demise, a big time dealer known as El Diablo, married a smoking hot prostitute and had a son. With a sense of debt to the brother he left behind and couldn’t keep on the straight and narrow, Benny tries to pick up the pieces and take care of his brother’s family. He soon gets far more than he bargained for. Aside from the obvious perks — sexing up his brother’s old lady, becoming a father figure to the boy — there isn’t much left in his hometown. If you want to make money, you deal drugs for Don Jose Reyes, the local kingpin. Caught up in his desire to provide for his newly acquired family unit, Benny takes to dealing. And that’s where things begin to accelerate significantly.

If some of this sounds familiar, don’t be surprised. There isn’t a whole lot that’s new about Benny’s story. He gets involved, reluctantly, with the drug trade and quickly excels. Then he gets a little greedy and begins having to pay the price in blood. Alright, so I can see the Scarface comparison, but only in broad thematic brush strokes. What El Infierno does that’s unique is that it maintains an incredible amount of style and flair. Memorable supporting characters, including Benny’s friend El Cochiloco (Joaquin Cosio), provide color for an otherwise drab, dust-covered landscape. Be it intentional or unintentional — it’s difficult to tell, as the story is delivered completely void of irony — it’s a very funny film. Then it becomes a very violent film. Then it becomes a very, very, very violent film. Then the shooting starts, if you can believe such a thing.
Carried by humor and charisma early on, Estrada’s film ultimately explodes with a blood bath of a drug cartel turf war. No man is left unscathed, no death is unearned and it all pays off with big moments in the final act. Long by at least 15 minutes or so, the film pays its audience back for a slow start by unleashing the grim, hellish fury of Mexico’s gangland conflicts. The turn can be jarring, as the film flips quickly from funny and slow to extreme violence, but in the end it’s plenty entertaining, leaving the audience to believe that it has lived up to its original name, El Infierno (“Hell”).

The Mission

The Mission directed by Roland Joffe, starring Robert de Niro as Rodrigo Mendoza, Jeremy Irons as Father Gabriel, and Ray McAnally as Cardinal Altamirano opened in theaters in 1986. In the beginning we see Native Americans carrying a priest on a cross to the river where he floats until he goes over the falls. We have to ask, what exactly did he do wrong do deserve this punishment?  Located in Jesuit Paraguay in the 1750s , the movie's climax is the Guarani War of 1754-1754, during which historical Guaranis defended their homes against Spanish-Portuguese forces implementing the Treaty of Madrid of 1750. The Mission is partly narrated by "Altamiran" (Ray MacAnally), a cardinal and papal legate who "used to be a Jesuit."


We meet Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons), the hero of the film, when he paddles upriver alone against the current, ascends the falls, and explores the dark Guarani land armed only with his oboe. His playing entices the simple movie Guaranis into choosing a mission. The Guarani take him back to their village where they begin to learn about the ways of the Lord. Father Gabriel in the beginning and throughout the entire film is portrayed as a very devoted follower of Christ. His mission in the movie is to spread the Word of God. He wants to save the lives of the Guarani people!

This is also where we meet Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert de Niro), who in the beginning is portrayed as an evil man. He has no shame in hunting the Guarani people, which he later sells into slavery or kills. Movie slave hunter Mendoza metamorphoses from violent villain to peaceful hero. After killing his brother, Mendoza withdraws from the world. Father Gabriel assuages Mendoza's guilt by letting him serve Guaranis. As penance, he drags a sack of armor until a Guarani severs him from his burden. The San Carlos Guaranis embrace Mendoza, who now loves but remains superior to them. When they capture a pig, for example, Mendoza refuses to kill it. Guaranis who kill little pigs are brutal primitives. Mendoza's gentle tolerance lets him lose a "king of the canoe" game with an Indian boy. Rodrigo thanks Father Gabriel for receiving him in the missions, and the priest says, "You should thank the Guarani." In the movie we see that the Guaranis accept Christianity right away, but this isn't the case. Many refused for years if not for generations. Guarani ideology failed to appreciate good and evil, sin, and other Christian doctrines. Guaranis believed in capricious magical spirit powers, and native religious practitioners sought to persuade them to help and not to hurt their clients and themselves.

When we final meet Cardinal Altamirano (Ray McAnally) he is deciding if the missions will continue to help bring the Guaranis to Christ or to shut down the missions all together. To complete his assignment, Altamirano visits the "great mission of San Miguel." When he makes it to San Miguel he is fascinated by the Guaranis educational success, a bounteous mission orchard, and Indian singing. Guaranis making violins fascinate him. These images proclaim Jesuit love, not Guarani capacity, and the movie's historical and Indian problems are revealed by the appearance of a Guarani priest at San Miguel, because there were no Indian Jesuits in Paraguay. Altamirano also sees the scars on the Indian slaves that was put there by the Paraguayan master; a man improbably fled from a civil province estate to the missions.

Altamirano must order Indians from their homes. "Though I knew that everywhere in Europe states were tearing at the authority of the Church," he says, "and though I knew well that to preserve itself there, the Church must show its authority over the Jesuits here, I still couldn't help wondering whether these Indians would not have preferred that the sea and wind had not brought any of us to them." This didn't go over well at all with any of the Indians or the priests. They all felt portrayed. Because they love the Guarani, Father Gabriel and Mendoza remain in the mission, violating their vows of obedience. English priests, Fathers Ralph and John, also disobey. Because Mendoza prepares movie Guaranis for war, Father Gabriel warns him not to die with blood on his hands. After all his, Mendoza, work in the mission and after his hard penance he goes back on his vows to the Church and fight back. He refuses to let this happen to the Guaranis! Although Father Gabriel wants to fight back he can't break his vow to Christ. As the movie draws to a close we see Father Gabriel is shot while carrying the cross, but the Guarani follower of Christ continued to carry the cross. We also see that Mendoza takes his old sword that one of the Guarani young boys clean up for him so he can use it to fight back. The movie was a great! Joffe did a wonderful job on showing how priests can guide and direct those people who were living in a life without Christ to a life of Christian beliefs.