El chacotero sentimental: La película

Maybe the best Chilean film of the year, "El chacotero..." shows us the public and private life of the common people in Chile. The mixture between drama and comedy is superb, and the acting has no low points. For me, the best story is the first; but you must see the movie and decide. The director, Cristian Galaz comes from video clips and advertisement, so the movie has this kind of treatment in some parts. I guess it would be appreciated better in TV format. Anyway is a very, very good film. In Chile was a blockbuster in theaters.

Although the universality of the films is very arguable, but for people who understands some about the society of such small country this film can be a blast. This is the first film --that I can remember, which talks about a subject not mixed with political issues (sex), as they used to be, and had to be after the 1973 coup. A very enjoyable experience.

This film is based on a very popular radio show in Chile. When I went to see it with my wife we were very surprised with the excellent acting, witty details and the pathos that's also in two of the stories.

This has become *the* most popular movie ever filmed in Chile, with nearly 1.000.000 viewers as of today (this in a country where *very* popular movies gross 200.000 spectators). The reason lies in its excellent acting, direction and screenplay.

I hope Cristian Galaz will repeat this remarkable feat.

One of the best features of this movie is to be authentic with Chilean culture and society. Based on a true radio-program in which people confess to the "chacotero sentimental", we can see through the three stories different sides of human relationships so likely to happen in our culture, that if it wouldn´t have been as well played by the actors and visualized by the director, it would lack from interest. Instead, the rhythm is dynamic, giving you some laughs at the first part, a dense and shocking second part and finally a romantic and light ending in order to release the tension of the former story. The setting takes place in some typical sectors of the country, giving a wide sense of belonging to each scene. The actors, with no exception, accomplish brilliantly each character´s features, giving a performance quite attached to real and far away from over-acting. Definitely a movie I recommend.

"El Chacotero Sentimental" is truly a daily radio show in Chile, in which people speaks on open air -via phone- about their sentimental and sexual life. "El Rumpy", also a real character, is this show's host, and this movie presents three self standing stories -hot ones-, linked together as if they were three phone calls in a row, which are listened and questioned by El Rumpy. These stories are most about infidelity and funny sexual issues.

It is not deepening art, but the cinematography is smooth and very surrounding. The storyboard is also very interesting. Note that all three stories are based upon real phone calls since 1995.