Machuca (2004)

Two boys observe a political coup in their native Chile.

Director:

Andrés Wood

Writers:

Eliseo Altunaga, Roberto Brodsky,

Stars:

Matías Quer, Ariel Mateluna, Manuela Martelli

10 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matías Quer	...	Gonzalo Infante
Ariel Mateluna	...	Pedro Machuca
Manuela Martelli	...	Silvana
Aline Küppenheim	...	María Luisa Infante
Ernesto Malbran	...	Father McEnroe
Tamara Acosta	...	Juana
Francisco Reyes	...	Patricio Infante
Alejandro Trejo	...	Willy
Maria Olga Matte	...	Miss Gilda
Gabriela Medina	...	Lucy
Luis Dubó	...	Ismael Machuca
Andrea García-Huidobro	...	Isabel
Tiago Correa	...	Pablo
Pablo Krögh	...	Colonel Sotomayor
Federico Luppi	...	Roberto Ochagavía

Storyline

Santiago, capital of Chile during the Marxist government of elected, highly controversial president Salvador Allende. Father McEnroe supports his leftist views by introducing a program at the prestigious "collegio" (Catholic prep school) St. Patrick to allow free admission of some proletarian kids. One of them is Pedro Machuca, slum-raised son of the cleaning lady in Gonzalo Infante's liberal-bourgeois home. Yet the new classmates become buddies, paradoxically protesting together as Gonzalo gets adopted by Pedro's slum family and gang. But the adults spoil that too, not in the least when general Pinochet's coup ousts Allende, and supporters such as McEnroe.

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Plot Keywords:

chile | student | socialist | military | flag | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Chile Spain UK France

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

11 June 2004 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Machuca, mein Freund

Filming Locations:

Santiago, Chile

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

As stated by the director in several interviews, the movie was shot only on Sundays, due to its small budget.

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Goofs

Silvana is standing by the outhouse, then moments later, after camera pans, appears on the other side of Gonzalo.

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Quotes

Gonzalo Infante: Stop seeing that old fucker.

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Crazy Credits

In the credits at the beginning of the film, the last letter of each word drifts slowly to the right separating from the names

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Connections

References The Lone Ranger (1956)

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Soundtracks

"Canción de cuna"
Written by José Miguel Miranda and José Miguel Tobar
Performed by Coni Luer and unknown

User Reviews

One of the Greatest Movie Ever

I live in Chile, where the movie happens. I have also followed Andres Wood in his career as a Director and I must say that this is his most mature, rounded and strong piece of work.

The Movie is centered in the social phenomena that happened in the last days before the Coup in 1973. Now the movie is incredibly accurate from the Costume Design, the Cars's License Plates, the expressions, the product brands and graffitis, to the social polarization, violence and killings. As remarkable as the Production is the honesty of the director, who could have easily fall into contaminating his movie with political propaganda, instead he kept delightfully accurate.

Even though for those who knows the history, the devastating feeling is all around, the movie centers in the social experiment led by a priest who was the principal of a high class school, who takes into the school some poor mestizo children.

Machuca is one of this children's who begins a friendship with a white rich children.

The story itself works as a metaphor for the innocence of the people in that time. innocence that was lost over and over.