Comment

xaipe
Oct 26, 2015xaipe rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
The story begins with a Spanish film crew in Bolivia planning to shoot an epic movie about Columbus's arrival into the New World. First impressions are of a movie epic in the Werner Herzog style exposing the exploitation of the native Indian population by Columbus explorers. In the beginning, Bolivian extras show up in response to a clumsy call for $2 per day extras to act in the movie. The natives desperately need the money and hundreds have travelled long distances on the strength of a flimsy promise which turns out to be for only a couple of extras instead of the many promised. Here it gets a bit confusing, when the action of the movie suddenly overlaps with the real-life injustices and exploitation amid protests of the privatization of the region's water supply. Bolivia's government has sold the country's water rights to a private multinational consortium. Local wells which the natives have used for centuries are suddenly sealed off, and the rates charged are beyond the natives' ability to pay. The rebellions and riots not only bring Bolivia to a standstill, but also stop movie production. Costa, the producer of the film and Juan Carlos Aduviri a forceful and articulate native are locked in a conflict within the larger conflict of the water wars. I can remember the news coverage of this water war standstill in 2000 when the Bolivians, who claimed their rights to a commons ownership of their life-giving water which had been freely available for centuries, now had all access to water sealed off to them. Even catching rainwater was also made illegal. The title "Even The Rain" refers to this prohibition. It's a very powerful movie portraying a moment in history which many are unaware of but which highlights the real-world injustices beyond the on-location ego trips of film-making. Excellent cast and script within the limits of a very small budget. The ending is deeply moving. There are Spanish subtitles, but you must turn Closed Captions on in your own TV controls (a cheaper option than adding subtitles).