Mi mejor enemigo ( my best enemy ) is the first Chilean film for me.
I liked it for its theme, depiction of Chilean character and Patagonia where the action takes place.
It is about a war which was about to erupt between Chile and Argentina in 1978, over a border dispute in Patagonia in the south. The Chilean patrol of five soldiers sent to the border loses its compass and gets lost in the vast arid expanse of patagonia. They come across an Argentinian platoon and they become friends, although the Chilean soldiers had taken the oath to kill five Argentinians each. They help each other in the cold and windy emptiness of Patagonia and, no surprise, play football. Fortunately the war is averted but the news does not reach the platoon in time, since the battery of their communication equipment is down. The nervous Chileans kill an Argentinian, who helped them. The hero of the Platoon comes back and takes his comrades to the bar where his girlfriend works. She turns him off when he tries to kiss her in front of his friends. Ni un besito... not even a kiss. no medal ... no money... comments the poor soldiers.. fodder in war and politics.
The human side of the war is touching. They are caught between the patriotic and militaristic beliefs and the warmth and friendship of the soldiers on the other side. The film brings out the rivalry between the Argentinians and Chileans, which plays out in contemporary forms. They tease each other over tango, football and meat.
The Patagonia scenes are breathtaking. The unique play of light and colours at sunset and sunrise have been captured in the film.
The last song in the film
"solo lo pido adios ( i just want to say bye) ..... is touching.
The film, released in 2005 is a coproduction of Chile with Argentina and Spain and directed by Alex Bowen.
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