The film is set in 1973 when Salvador Allende was the president of Chile. In those days, Chile was undergoing a dire economic crisis, which forced him to travel to the Soviet Union to ask for a loan. The situation for Chileans couldn't be worse: enterprise owners, against left-winged governmental policies, were very reluctant to produce. As a result of the scarcity of basic needs, people had to stand in extremely long queues in order to obtain products like bread and milk. Generally, these were not enough, so they had to do anything to satisfy their hunger. Chile's always been a country full of wandering cats and dogs. However, in those years those animals were seldom seen in the streets. On the other side of the coin, wealthy people used to go to places where these goods were sold secretly without standing any lines.
I think the film very accurately depicts the social, political, and economic circumstances the country was going through, siding with neither Socialism nor Capitalism. Throughout "Machuca", you will be able to spot the dark side of both political views: the right-winged military brutality and; on the other hand, the left-winged expropriation of lands and houses.
In short, I see "Machuca" as the Chilean version of the Italian equivalent "Life is Beautiful". Really worth watching!
I think the film very accurately depicts the social, political, and economic circumstances the country was going through, siding with neither Socialism nor Capitalism. Throughout "Machuca", you will be able to spot the dark side of both political views: the right-winged military brutality and; on the other hand, the left-winged expropriation of lands and houses.
In short, I see "Machuca" as the Chilean version of the Italian equivalent "Life is Beautiful". Really worth watching!