Tamara Acosta Movies

Political unrest helps spawn and destroy a friendship between two schoolboys in this drama. In Chile in 1973, as the leadership of socialist president Salvador Allende was coming under fire from the nation's military leaders and the leaders of several powerful Western nations (including the United States), many in the country were inspired to address the issues of the vast gulf between Chile's rich and poor. Father McEnroe (Ernesto Malbran), one of the headmasters of an exclusive private school, decides to confront this matter by giving a handful of poor children a full scholarship. Pedro Machuca (Ariel Mateluna) is one of the new students, and while he and his fellows are picked on by the school's bullies, Pedro is a brave kid who stands his ground, and he's soon befriended by Gonzalo Infante (Matías Quer), whose rich parents live in Santiago's wealthy suburbs. Gonzalo's family is standing on shaky ground these days; his mother (Aline Küppenheim) is having an affair, and his father (Francisco Reyes) finds himself at odds with her increasingly right-wing political views. Gonzalo begins spending more time with Pedro and his family; he particularly likes Uncle Willi (Alejandro Trejo), who cheerfully sells flags to Chileans on both sides of the political fence, and develops a crush on Silvana (Manuela Martelli), Pedro's older cousin. But the political and economic differences that are dividing the country find their way into the school, leading to a rift between the two friends. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Following up on his acclaimed 1999 opus Revenge, Andres Wood spins this wild and woolly comedy about sex, greed, and shellfish. Loco is an endangered shellfish found most abundantly in a remote corner of Chile. Resembling a clam, the creature is touted for its aphrodisiac qualities, making it extremely popular among lecherous old men in Japan. Just before the annual harvest, a pair of con artists, Canuto (Emilio Bardi) and Jorge (Luis Dubo), return to their hometown claiming to represent a fictitious Japanese company. Announcing their intention to pay top peso for the entire loco crop, the villagers are soon desperately trying to gather as much of the shellfish as they can. As news of the gold rush leaks out, a band of carpetbagger whores drops in, hoping to cash in on the locals. The cash is placed under the protection of the town's priest/mayor/radio DJ (Luis Margani) who valiantly tries to instill some order in a town increasingly slipping into a carnal quagmire. As Canuto and Jorge are about to switch the cash with counterfeit money, they fall into amorous traps of their own -- Canuto falls in with an old flame named Sonia while Jorge finds his true love. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi