Moving Pictures

I have now seen my first Chilean flim: Post Mortem.

It was... strange.

But good.

And it was in Spanish.

Thank goodness it was one of those modern films that has five-minute scenes dedicated to silence, broken only by the sound of an egg frying or some other mundane thing.

So I understood most of it.

The lead role had a haircut like John Paul Jones at his finest. Or Prince Valient.

There were gratiutious sex scenes, albiet the awkward kind.

The plot took place right around the time of the rise of the dictatorship. The lead with the tragic haircut participated in the autopsy of Salvador Allende.

The film was impresionante, especially because the theater was full of older citizens who likely lived through the time of chaos portrayed on the big screen.

It ended with a ten-minute single shot of the lead stacking chairs against a door.

I left feeling confused.

The movie was distinctly Chilean: less-than-sexy actors, depressing ending, bland food prominently featured, and ridiculous amounts of Chilean slang.

Needless to say, I enjoyed it.

And I recommend seeing it for yourself; it was the only Chilean movie playing in the theater. The rest were Disney knock-offs or dubbed-versions of Harry Potter #7.

This feels like the end of a Reading Rainbow segment, where the kids tell you a bit about the book, then they say something like "But don't take my word for it. See for yourself!"

But seriously. Lamar Burton aside, "See for yourself!"