From opposite extremes of society, Gonzalo and Pedro form an unlikely friendship as politics rips apart marking forever the life of the whole nation of Chile. Please, respond to the following questions on your posting:
What thoughts do you have about the interaction between these two children?
Were you able to see the differences between two social classes, the rich and the poor in Chile?
What messages can you obtain from this film?
Add your personal thoughts about film, content, culture, social issues, etc.
6 comments:
Gonzolo and Pedro became friends like children do. They stuck up for one another, both were underdogs, Gonzolo was bullied by other kids in his class, and Pedro was the new kid in the class.
The classes were very apparent in this movie. Pedro lived in a shanty town with limited means. He had holes in his clothes and not very much food on the table. But he had a mother who loved him. Gonzolo had food on the table, a closet full of clothes, even Adidas shoes and a mother who slept with an old man to give him a lot more than that.
The messages were amazing to me. In 1973, I was a 15 year old in Cleveland. I had no idea that this went on in Chile. We as citizens were totally oblivious to this. The idea that people were beaten and killed because of their political belief put me beside myself. If the CIA backed this up, it is incomprehensible.
The class system is a curse and a blessing. We have so much in this country, that we take for granted how unfortunate others are. The human element of this film was very touching. That children, or people for that matter that meet are able to connect and form a friendship, it does not matter if they are poor, rich, in power or not.
Oh, and by the way, classmates. I am 52 and blogging, so I guess it is true that you can teach an old dog...(nurse) new tricks. Thanks, to everyone for your assistance.
Machuca
The interaction between Gonzalo and Pedro just goes to show the innocence of children and how they do not really care if people are different or come from different backgrounds they just want to be able to hang out and have fun. Most adults today are not able to do this. Even though the two boys came from different backgrounds they had some family situations in common when it came to parenting. Gonzalo's mother was not always doing what was in the best interest of him and at times was not really there when he needed her and Pedro had that in his family with his father. He did not appear to be a very big part of his life. I felt like the movie was a little difficult to follow, however, it was obvious to see the differences in the two social classes by the ability for the wealthy to have the opportunity to get teh best education and only a few of the poor were able to get in and then the children were not accepting of them and when they had the meeting about the chaos at school the wealthy parents blamed the trouble on the poor children. It appeared as though the wealthy were able to go to the black market to purchase necessities because they had the money, but the poor were not able and had to go without. One message to be obtained from the film is that government can have such an impact on the everyday operations of a country and create such havoc as when the the dicatorship began and the people no longer had any choices. The poor were treated so badly and when Gonzalo got to the town where Pedro lived and the fighting was going on and Pedro's "sister" was killed, how they let him leave once they found out he was not "one of them" Father McEnroe was so kind and did so much to help the boys at St. Patrick school and for them to come in and take over and treat him like they did was such a disgrace and knowing there are parts of the world where this type of dictatorship goes on makes me so happy that we have the government that we have today.(even though we may not always agree with what they do or say, at least we still have choices). LIke I said before, I did feel like this movie was harder to follow then the last, but did show the change in Chile.
Tammy McFarland (Nimersheim)
The interaction between Pedro and Gonzolo would never have occured if it were'nt for Father McEnroe. When he brought the boys into school there was some animosity from the rich kids. When the bully took Gonzolo's sandwich, then told Pedro "Our parents pay for your tuition" there was already a connection between the two.
Pedro lives in poverty, Gonzolo is wealthy, however the two of them have many similarities. Gonzolos mother spent her time with Amador, her married lover. Pedro's father was not around and was a drunk. Gonzolo has a dysfunctional family as well as Pedro's. They both share the love of comic books of The Lone Ranger.
The two social classes in Chile are to the extremes. There is no middle ground, just rich or poor. The rich could buy whatever they wanted on the black market and the poor had to wait in long lines to get things. Gonzolo had a closet full of clothes and nice shoes, Pedro had holes in his clothes and had to share. Pedro has an outhouse, Gonzolo has never seen one.
Chile is well on the way to a Cival War.
The message most clear to me, is that when the Government takes over, we've entered HELL. In Chile though, both situations, the right and left were not good.
This film, to me, was very hard to follow. If it were in English, I wouldn't be so worried about reading the subtitles, writing and be able to focus more on the content of the movie. We as Americans take things for granted for the assests we have. I sure wouldn't want to be poor in Chile.
I couldn't believe the language the children used in this movie. I think it's because they were so angry, and that's how they were able to deal with it and lashed out.
Father McEnroe was trying to do the right thing by introducing the two cultures together, it just did't work out for everyone.
The film has reinforced my thankfullness for living in a free country as did the last.
1) What thoughts do you have about the interaction between these two children?
In the film Machuca two young boys Gonzalo and Pedro are brought together by Father McEnroe's scholarship program for several new boys from "shanty town". As the boys were introduced to one another it was obvious that they came from different social, financial and political backgrounds. The two boy’s friendship initially began because of a common denominator. The denominator being Gaston the class bully that had victimized both boys. Gonzalo was a very privileged child when it came to luxuries that were abundant to him. However he felt a separation with his family. Gonzalo has a teenage sister who is absorbed by her threatening boyfriend, a father who is not really in charge of his family, and finally a mother who is having an extramarital affair with a rich influential man who could take care of her and provide things that she didn't have as a middle class citizen in Chile. Pedro was a very poor young man that came from the other side of town. As the boys became friends they were connected by the innocence of youth and the adventures they were to have. As their friendship grew they shared many encounters that would stay with them for life. The two boys shared an intimate relationship as young boys encounter their first kiss. After this they had a stronger bond than before.
2) Were you able to see the differences between two social classes, the rich and the poor in Chile?
I was most definitely able to see the differences between the two social classes, the rich and the poor in Chile as the movie time and time again would show the contrasts. Gonzalo and Pedro's living conditions and housing were so dramatically different. The boys lived on the opposite side of town from one another. Gonzalo had a home with furniture, his own room, a lot of cloths in his closet, Nike shoes, and a bike. Pedro lived in a "shanty town" which was a compound of huts put together with boards to create housing. His dwelling was shared space with dirt floors. Pedro didn't have the space, cloths, or other luxuries that Gozalo had. And he walked everywhere unless he was picked up by his uncle in a beat up truck. When it came to government issue staples Gonzalo's family was able to get things that Pedro's family would never have the opportunity to have.
3) What messages can you obtain from this film?
The messages that I obtained through this film is that we should never take for granted our freedoms. My country has endured the centuries as a stable place to grow and prosper. This film shows a portrait of a country in turmoil and the unjust treatment of people based on their social standings and political beliefs.
4) My personal thoughts about film, content, culture, social issues, etc.
I feel this film opened my eyes to a country much like many others that had suffered the punishment of discriminations that should not happen to people. It was a very thought provoking film regarding the culture and social issues of the South American people. Many of these people endured much loss with a country in turmoil. I did like the movie and know it was based on true stories of the 1973 political upheaval in Chile. I would have enjoyed this film much more if I could re-write the ending. The ending was heart-breaking and I can say no more. So I won't.
Children are typically not prejudice towards one another until there are outside influences to steer them in the other direction. In this movie the country of Chile was very well divided among the rich and the poor. I feel that the priest plays a role in encouraging the two boys to continue their friendship regardless what their society believes they should do.
The lines were clearly drawn throughout this movie between the rich and poor classes. The poor people were family oriented and happy with what they had whereas the rich always seemed to want more regardless what they already had and it did not seem to matter to them how they got it either. For example, I feel that the things that Gonzalo was exposed to by his own mother was absolutely disgusting. I can't imagine any mother thinking that this type of behavior is ok let alone to bring her son with her and expose him to that way of life. The housing difference was also a very strong division between the two social classes. The poor lived in shacks with dirt floors and out houses, while the rich lived in nice homes and wore designer clothing.
This movie sent many messages to me about the division of social classes in Chile. It was very heart warming how two children over look the social barrier and become friends against the odds. The true meaning of family and friends seems more prominent in the poor class versus the rich class. The only part that would not allow me to recommend this film was when the three children started kissing... this was very disturbing, however the rest of the movie was good and allowed the viewers to see what it was really like in Chile through this difficult time.
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