Many critics have said that “Chile ‘76″ (directed by Manuella Martelli and written by her and Alejandra Moffat) feels like a Hitchcock thriller. But I thought it was more akin to the gritty paranoia-soaked films of Alan J. Pakula and Sidney Lumet, such as “Klute” and “Serpico.” In these pictures, you see how danger lurks around every corner, and the main character becomes embroiled in something bigger and more malevolent than they could ever imagine.
Carmela (played by Aline Küppenheim) is the housewife of a Doctor, living a comfortable life in 1976 Chile. When Father Sanchez (Hugo Medina), a priest and friend of the family, asks Carmela to tend to a badly injured young man named Elias (Nicolás Sepúlveda) at her family’s beach house, she discovers that Elias and Father Sanchez are part of a resistance covertly fighting against Pinochet’s regime. Torn between her comfortable life as an upper-middle-class housewife and wanting to end Pinochet’s regime, Carmela goes deeper and deeper into working for the resistance. Her paranoia and fear increase as she finds not everyone can be trusted. Pinochet’s police force has escalated their efforts to find members of the resistance and execute them.
Manuella Martelli Tackles the theme of Oppression
First-time director Manuella Martelli does a great job showing the extreme contrasts of Chile in that era. Random shootings and raids by Pinochet’s forces happen as people go about their daily lives of bicycling to work, jogging, or picking up groceries at the store. In the film’s first few minutes, Carmela is picking up groceries in a store when Pinochet’s forces arrive and shoot a dead man at the store’s entrance. People walk by unphased by it. But as Carmela leaves the store, she can’t help but glance at the bloody scene before her. Here you see that she cares about life and freedom, even if she doesn’t know how to change things.
Aline Küppenheim Shines with Her Nuanced Performance
Aline Küppenheim gives a powerful performance as Carmela. She’s a woman who loves routine and everything in its place. It makes her entry into the world of subterfuge and revolution so jarring to her. Throughout the film, Carmela reluctantly agrees to mission after mission. Because of such, we see her constant stress physically take a toll on her. She’s always looking over her shoulder. Carmela never knows if she’ll wake up to Pinochet’s police force knocking on her door.
The audience isn’t spared; we feel her anxiety too. So much so that there were a couple of moments in the film where I found myself jumping in my seat — gasping simultaneously with Carmela when a loud knock or crash suddenly happened off-screen. It seems like the moment Carmela agrees to help the resistance; everything becomes menacing. There are instances in which she looks out the window and sees two men standing across the street from her house. Are they Pinochet’s spies or just two friends stopping to have a chat? Even when knitting, she sees Pinochet’s propaganda newscast blaring on the TV.
‘Chile ’76’ is a Nail-Biting and Dark Realist Thriller
What makes things even more tense is that her husband, Miguel (Alejandro Goic), and her friends are Pinochet sympathizers. They praise him while riding on their luxury boats. While sipping champagne and fine wine, they question whether the resistance fighters are even human. Unfortunately, I saw a lot of modern society reflected in those people. They seemed apathetic to the suffering around them as long as they and their money weren’t affected by it. “Chile ‘76” is a great thriller that drags a bit in places but keeps the tension high throughout. Martelli’s debut captures the essence of a uniquely dark time and place in history.
Currently, “Chile ’76” is only available to watch in theaters.
