Writer: Ezekiel Lee Zhiang Yang

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Watch this if you liked: "Dog Days”, "Historias Del Futbol”, “Machuca”

From the director of "Historias Del Futbol" and "La Fiebre Del Loco", this award-winning 2008 Chilean drama is a tight, well-edited about Teresa the government social helper, Edmundo the hairdresser, Mario the clarinet player and an unnamed prostitute, who all share one thing in common - the cruelty of life in Santiago when the going gets tough.

Unlike similar Hollywood efforts like "Crash", the stories in this movie is weaved into each other not by a didactic central theme but by the pivotal urban location in which it all takes place. The characters don't need to meet up in the end like a beautiful fairytale with strong social messages. They need only live out their story in the short duration of the movie convincingly and we get a peek into the very interesting private lives of these people.

Roberto Farías gives the most vivid portrayal of a down-and-out thirtysomething hairdresser named Edmundo who lives with his mum still and can't find the money to impress a girl, buy a car or finance his father's reburial. Meanwhile, Aline Küppenheim gives the standout performance as Teresa, a torn woman who cannot reconcile her failure in bringing up her daughter well and keeping her husband happy with her job of sex education at the government help centre. However, the best explored of these is Eduardo Paxeco's turn as gifted clarinetist Mario, whose dreams of playing for the Philharmonic are always ruined by people who just didn't have the time for him.

The other character in this movie is the most elusive and perhaps, purposefully unexamined. Appearing only a few times, we see a destitute prostitute facing all sorts of problems that nobody seems to be able to help her with. She represents all the untold stories that remain untold in a city like Santiago, contrasted against the three main characters in this movie who do get told.


Cinema Online, 21 October 2009