También la lluvia

In 2000 Bolivia, a young filmmaker and his producer set out to make a movie about Columbus’s arrival in the West and his relationship with the natives. Between religion, politics, need, passion, and decency, morality is tossed like a hot potato. It is one of the most profound elements of the film. Gael Garcia Bernal plays the young filmmaker with of selfish zeal, driven to produce an authentic representation of Spanish history, but at the core of the story is his producer Costa, played by an excellent Luis Tosar. Mediator and cheerleader, his responsibilities quickly become greater than he could possibly have imagined. His efforts to save a buck by filming in Bolivia are thwarted when local conflict over the privatization of water escalates to demonstrations and mass violence. To the privileged and the able, there is no question of loyalty to the film’s production. For the locals in need of water, much more than production deadlines weigh on their shoulders. The question then – for everyone – becomes: “At what cost?” What will it cost to safely make this film? What does it cost to pursue your career? What are you willing to lose for the right to fresh, clean water? When do you say ‘enough?’

There’s a lot going on in También la lluvia; there’s a film within a film, social uprising, human rights debate, morality, representation of history, and a clash of cultures. Not to mention the fact that I’m watching it with English subtitles, knowing only bits of Spanish myself. All the same, it is an ambitious film that manages to accomplish quite a lot of what it intends. No wonder Angelina Jolie has adopted so many children from foreign countries. To be a sensitive person filming in a deeply conflicted country… I cannot imagine.