Directed by: Patricio Guzmán – Chile, France – 2022 – 83 min
 

Synopsis:
 

Veteran director Patricio Guzman’s latest film follows the trajectory of the Chilean nation, starting from the outbreak of the popular uprisings in 2019, sparked by increasing subway fares. Then came the pledge to rewrite a constitution which was dating back to Pinochet’s military dictatorship and the election of Gabriel Boric – a young politician with a vital role in the changes that unfolded in the previous months – as president. In spite of the detailed depiction of the violent acts committed against protesters throughout the two years of crisis, the whole film is drenched in optimism, as Guzman sees recent events as an unexpected yet welcome continuation of the aspirations for individual freedom and social justice nurtured during Allende’s brief rule, brutally interrupted by the 1973 coup. The rejection of the project of a new, particularly progressive constitution, which took place after the film had been released and is presented by one of the interviewees as the darkest scenario imaginable after the sacrifices of the demonstrators, nevertheless leaves untouched the pathos of Guzman’s ode to all rebels with a cause.