Review No.110: Even the Rain

After having my brain well and truly numbed by the dire Piranha 3DD it was time to try a film that had a bit of a message to it with the Latin American movie Even the Rain. The film is based around a Mexican film crew going to Bolivia to make a film about Christopher Columbus' voyage to the new world as well as him trying to impose his religious beliefs on the natives and their eventual rebellion. In the opening scene we see Gael Garcia Bernal's director Sebastian and Luis Tosar's executive producer Costa greeted with a long line of natives wanting to be considered by parts after the former advertised an open casting. Though the filming team goes back on their word they are confronted by the resilient Daniel who is eventually cast as Atuey the Taino Chief with his real life daughter playing his daughter in the film. The uprising of the Indians in Sebastian's film is shot concurrently alongside the current protests in Bolivia as they take offence to their water supply being privatised and demand to be given a voice. As Daniel leads these protests both Costa and Sebastian are constantly having to bail him out of jail however the incidents become increasingly more violent and they both worry that they won't be able to finish the film. Throughout the film both of their attitudes' to the natives change as the initially liberal Sebastian finds the constant protests are hindering the progress of the story he feels he needs to tell while the financially-minded Costa becomes close to Daniel with him ultimately making a major sacrifice in the film's closing scenes.

Though I'm not usually a big fan of political message Even the Rain really drew me in to the plight of the Bolivians by drawing it alongside the story of these wealthy movie folks. Though the film-makers bemoan the exploitation of the Bolivians they to are using these locals as extras because they are a lot cheaper than their Hollywood counterparts. This hypocritical behaviour is pointed out several times, most notably by the drunken actor playing Columbus, however we the audience are allowed to make our own minds up about the central characters as they change during their time in Bolivia. For me the best performance in the film comes from Tosar who was absolutely terrifying in Cell 211 but here is much more of a kind individual even if at times he comes across a trifle authoritative. Juan Carlos Aduviri also feels completely natural in the role of Daniel as he shows how easy it is to seem powerful without saying anything at all. The mainly exterior locations look great while the final scenes of the full-scale rebellion of the Bolivians are made as realistic as possible. Though not a perfect film, at times I felt it a little too preachy, Even the Rain is a well-written excellently acted parable about exploitation and history repeating itself which neither underestimates or alienates the audience throughout.

Verdict: A thoroughly enjoyable film about exploitation and how your opinions can change with two great performances from Tosar and Aduviri easily gets 8.5/10