Even the Rain (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
As 'Even the Rain' (written & directed by Iciar Bollain) begins, a film crew led by an idealist director named Sebastian (Gael Garcia Bernal) & his producer, Costa (Luis Tosar), arrives in Bolivia, to make a historical epic about Christopher Columbus & his conquest of the Americas. But Sebastian wants to dig deeper about his subject; focusing on Columbus' oppression of the Indian people (to win souls for Christ) & the efforts of 2 priests to object to their fellow Christian's bloody attempts at conversion. Sebastian is hell bent on revealing Columbus' (perhaps) true mission to find gold and use brutal force for a greater 'good'. Having chosen to make this already controversial film in Bolivia (due to extremely cheap labor costs), Costa & Sebastian proceed to cast locals as extras.
Things go smoothly until - for the role of Hatuey, the 1st Indian literally to be crucified for resisting the Christian Empire - they cast Daniel (Juan Carlos Aduviri), who happens to be leading a major protest against water-privatization interests that threaten to charge $$ for everything ... even the rain. And so, while Sebastian directs a revisionist story about the imperialistic past, a huge imperialistic present is going on right under his nose; threatening to close down his film, as well as the lives of those involved. Everyone starts questioning their own political & moral belief systems as the Bolivian Water War breaks out around them.
I really liked the dynamics of the major players in this film. Costa is obsessed with time and $$ (the budget) & could care less about imperialism of 500 yrs. ago or today. He's white. He cares little about the indigenous actors -- but that all changes by the end. Sebastian seems like a decent man in his 30s. But he's obsessed about making (and completing) this film. And his opinion of what matters most seems skewed; even by the end. Anton (Karra Elejalde) is the brilliant, if alcoholic actor who's playing Christopher Columbus in Sebastian's film. He is reluctant to work hard due to his belief that Sebastian is using cheap manipulations to get his story across (in the film). So as you can see: interesting characters. And the arc that some of them go through is intriguing, as well.
Though the most powerful components of this film are the war, how each character is affected, and a race through the war-torn streets to hopefully save an innocent young girl from death ... there are some cinematic flourishes that impressed me, as well. In Fellini's La Dolce Vita there is an image of an enormous cross being transported/dangling from a helicopter high in the sky. And the opening image of this film is exactly the same. The cross being carried (here) is one that would be used for the crucifixions in Sebastian's movie (when the character of Hatuey will be the 1st documented Indian killed). I liked that touch. I also appreciated any scene where Sebastian is trying to explain to his supporting players (all Indian) about how Columbus' minions 'dealt' with the Indians. The looks on their faces were of horror - and disappointment. Disappointment; that it happened at all, & how flippant the director seems in explaining the scene(s).
'Even the Rain' is a fairly decent foreign film. Not great. I like how it began. I love how it ended (however manipulative it gets). The ending reaches real life or death proportions. And I did not know who (if any) of the major characters would survive. Portions in the middle let me wane in my attention span. But the overall effect is ... effective. Though you can tell that 'Even the Rain' is on a smaller budget than other films, the filmmakers make the most of it. Some of the landscape shots are beautiful. The acting is top-notch; particularly Luis Tosar as Costa, the producer. His character arc struck a chord with me by the end. And to balance 3 movies in one (reenactment of Columbus' expedition, filming that expedition, & the civil uprising in Bolivia) is a pretty cool achievement.
Things go smoothly until - for the role of Hatuey, the 1st Indian literally to be crucified for resisting the Christian Empire - they cast Daniel (Juan Carlos Aduviri), who happens to be leading a major protest against water-privatization interests that threaten to charge $$ for everything ... even the rain. And so, while Sebastian directs a revisionist story about the imperialistic past, a huge imperialistic present is going on right under his nose; threatening to close down his film, as well as the lives of those involved. Everyone starts questioning their own political & moral belief systems as the Bolivian Water War breaks out around them.
I really liked the dynamics of the major players in this film. Costa is obsessed with time and $$ (the budget) & could care less about imperialism of 500 yrs. ago or today. He's white. He cares little about the indigenous actors -- but that all changes by the end. Sebastian seems like a decent man in his 30s. But he's obsessed about making (and completing) this film. And his opinion of what matters most seems skewed; even by the end. Anton (Karra Elejalde) is the brilliant, if alcoholic actor who's playing Christopher Columbus in Sebastian's film. He is reluctant to work hard due to his belief that Sebastian is using cheap manipulations to get his story across (in the film). So as you can see: interesting characters. And the arc that some of them go through is intriguing, as well.
Though the most powerful components of this film are the war, how each character is affected, and a race through the war-torn streets to hopefully save an innocent young girl from death ... there are some cinematic flourishes that impressed me, as well. In Fellini's La Dolce Vita there is an image of an enormous cross being transported/dangling from a helicopter high in the sky. And the opening image of this film is exactly the same. The cross being carried (here) is one that would be used for the crucifixions in Sebastian's movie (when the character of Hatuey will be the 1st documented Indian killed). I liked that touch. I also appreciated any scene where Sebastian is trying to explain to his supporting players (all Indian) about how Columbus' minions 'dealt' with the Indians. The looks on their faces were of horror - and disappointment. Disappointment; that it happened at all, & how flippant the director seems in explaining the scene(s).
'Even the Rain' is a fairly decent foreign film. Not great. I like how it began. I love how it ended (however manipulative it gets). The ending reaches real life or death proportions. And I did not know who (if any) of the major characters would survive. Portions in the middle let me wane in my attention span. But the overall effect is ... effective. Though you can tell that 'Even the Rain' is on a smaller budget than other films, the filmmakers make the most of it. Some of the landscape shots are beautiful. The acting is top-notch; particularly Luis Tosar as Costa, the producer. His character arc struck a chord with me by the end. And to balance 3 movies in one (reenactment of Columbus' expedition, filming that expedition, & the civil uprising in Bolivia) is a pretty cool achievement.