Machuca
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Andrés Wood, Aline Kuppenheim, Manuela Martelli and Matías Quer at the Viña del Mar International Film Festival 2004
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| Directed by | Andrés Wood |
| Produced by |
Andrés Wood Mamoun Hassan Gerado Herrero |
| Written by |
Roberto Brodsky Mamoun Hassan Andrés Wood Eliseo Altunaga (consultant) |
| Starring |
Matías Quer Ariel Mateluna Manuela Martelli |
| Music by | Miguel Miranda José Miguel Tobar |
| Cinematography | Miguel Ioann Littin Menz |
| Edited by | Fernando Pardo Soledad Salfate |
| Distributed by | Menemsha Entertainment |
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Release date
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Running time
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121 minutes |
| Country | Chile |
| Language | Spanish |
| Box office | $3,187,700 (worldwide) |
Machuca is a 2004 Chilean film written and directed by Andrés Wood. Set in 1973 Santiago during Salvador Allende's socialist government and shortly after General Augusto Pinochet's military coup in 1973, the film tells the story of two friends, one of them the very poor Pedro Machuca who is integrated into the elite school of his friend Gonzalo Infante. The social integration project is headed by the director of the school, Father McEnroe.
The film is dedicated to Father Gerardo Whelan, C.S.C. who from 1969 to 1973 was the director of Colegio Saint George (Saint George's College), the private school in Santiago that the film's director attended as a boy.
Machuca performed well in theaters in Chile, but did not have notable box office success outside of Latin America.
The film is from the perspective of Gonzalo Infante, a privileged Chilean boy, during a time period in which the lower classes are politically mobilized, demanding more rights and forcing fundamental change. At the same time the upper middle class, including Gonzalo's own family, grow fearful of the growing socialist movement and plot against the country's elected president, Salvador Allende. Gonzalo's father, while sympathetic to the poor and not part of the right-wing movement, wants to leave the country to Italy, where he frequently travels for work, to avoid the Socialist policies. Sra. Infante is having an affair with a wealthy older gentleman, who gives Gonzalo gifts to keep him quiet. Gonzalo is sometimes bullied by his sister's boyfriend, who is a violent anti-Allende right-winger who uses nun-chucks to intimidate people. The family often buys products off of the black market, due to rationing and shortages.
Gonzalo Infante attends a private school where the principal, Father McEnroe, introduces five new, poor students. Gonzalo refuses to bully one of these boys, Pedro Machuca, when encouraged by his peers. The two boys become friends. Infante accompanies Machuca, and Machuca's cousin Silvana, as they sell flags at rival political protests. Despite Silvana's initial resentment of Infante's upper-class background, she eventually befriends him and they even exchange kisses. Infante and Machuca visit each other's homes, and meet each other's families.
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Wikipedia