La fièvre de l'ormeau

The story at the center of the film is the fishing for the "loco", the prized Chilean mollusk, similar to oysters that can only be extracted from the sea at certain times. Andres Wood, the director, has based his film in a group of people in the remote island where every year this event occurs, which brings most of the money this community needs to survive.

Canuto, a native of the island, is a petty criminal who associates himself with a Japanese character that wants to send most of the harvest to markets in that country, where it is a great delicacy. In order to do that, he goes to a friend from this area, now working in the capital and convinces him to go along.

The few days in the island show us a cross section of the population. There is the local priest, who is also the voice in the radio soap opera; he controls the fishing, but never realizes he is dealing with the criminal minds of Canuto and his partner. We get to see a group of prostitutes that arrive to the town and set their tent where a great deal of the locals go for relaxation.

There is a great scene at the end where the suffering wives claim the ill gotten money the prostitutes will take away from them and their families. This is a small film, but it keeps the viewer involved with what's going on up to the tragic ending. The ensemble cast plays very well.