Synopsis
Santiago, capital of Chile during the Marxist government of elected, highly controversial president Salvador Allende. Father McEnroe supports his leftist views by introducing a program at the prestigious "collegio" (Catholic prep school) St. Patrick to allow free admission of some proletarian kids. One of them is Pedro Machuca, slum-raised son of the cleaning lady in Gonzalo Infante's liberal-bourgeois home. Yet the new classmates become buddies, paradoxically protesting together as Gonzalo gets adopted by Pedro's slum family and gang. But the adults spoil that too, not in the least when general Pinochet's coup ousts Allende, and supporters such as McEnroe.
Ratings
IMDb7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes87%
Metacritic76/100
221 audience votes
Key crew
- Andrés WoodScreenplay
- Andrés WoodDirector
- Eliseo AltunagaScreenplay
- Mamoun HassanScreenplay
- Roberto BrodskyScreenplay
- Miguel MirandaOriginal Music Composer
Cast
- Matías QuerGonzalo Infante
- Ariel MatelunaPedro Machuca
- Aline KüppenheimMaría Luisa
- Ernesto MalbránFather McEnroe
- Federico LuppiRoberto
- Manuela MartelliSilvana
- Tamara AcostaJuana
- Francisco ReyesPatricio Infante
- Alejandro TrejoWilly
- María Olga MatteMiss Gilda
- Gabriela MedinaLucy
- Luis DubóIsmael Machuca
Stills
Themes
1970sdemonstrationtraumasantiago, chilechilepinochet regimefriendshistorical eventclassmatesexual initiation