Chile Today’s #LevelUpYourLockdown series offers tips on how to support your physical and mental health during quarantine. We offer insights into Chilean movies, food options, music, and more! In this article, discover five critically-acclaimed films about Chilean culture, history, and lifestyle.
While you’re spending a little more time at home, why not shake up your Netflix routine? Dive into Chilean culture and practice your Spanish skills with stories about jealous nanas, an 80-year-old spy, growing up during a dictatorship, activism, and a waitress navigating the difficulties of life.
Sit back, relax and check out these five celebrated Chilean films!
And whilst you´re watching, don’t forget the snacks! For healthy food delivery recommendations, check out:
1. El Agente Topo / The Mole Agent
Sergio, an ederly man and recent widower, answers an intriguing “help wanted” ad in Santiago. Private investigator, Romulo, hires Sergio to go undercover at a nursing home suspected of elder abuse. Armed with spy glasses and a camera pen, he begins his investigation while charming the home’s residents. The film offers a tender, joyful, and sometimes difficult inside look into the retirement home lifestyle.
Watch the trailer here:
2. La Nana / The Maid
A Chilean dramedy classic that offers insight into the lives of nanas and the families they care for. Catalina Saavedra’s award-winning performance as Raquel wraps viewers in the tedious, intimate, and, at times, heartbreaking aspects of a nana’s career. Raquel treats her employers and their children with the utmost respect and care. She begins to experience dizzy spells, prompting the family to hire a second nana to assist her. Sensing a threat to her rank in the household, Raquel plots a series of desperate attempts to drive away the new maids – that is, until, a supportive and inspiring friendship changes the course of her life.
Watch the trailer here:
3. Una Mujer Fantástica / A Fantastic Woman
A love story unfolds after a chance encounter in one of Santiago’s nightclubs. Marina, a hopeful singer, and Orlando, the wealthy owner of a textile company, begin a relationship that meets a tragic end. After Marina’s birthday celebration, Orlando suddenly falls ill and dies in the hospital. His family relentlessly interrogates Marina about their relationship and scrutinizes her unconventional lifestyle. Mourning the sudden death of her lover in the midst of scorn and discrimination, Marina struggles to find peace.
Watch the trailer here:
4. NO
During Chile’s dictatorship, military dictator Augusto Pinochet is forced to call a plebiscite on his presidency. Citizens will vote YES or NO to extending his position for eight more years. René Saavedra, played by Gael Garcia Bernal, is a brash, young advertising man. He and his team devise a bold plan, promising a better future for a free Chile.
Watch the trailer here:
5. Machuca
The story follows an unlikely friendship between two young boys in 1973. Born into two very different worlds, Gonzalo Infante comes from a wealthy family of European descent, while Pedro Machuca was born to an indigenous family living below the poverty line. Their paths cross when Father McEnroe enacts a social integration program at an elite, English-language Catholic school in Vitacura. The story unfolds amidst Augusto Pinochet’s military coup against Salvador Allende’s socialist government.
Watch the trailer here:
