It's Raining on Santiago

Amazon.com Helvio Soto's dramatic re-creation of the military overthrow of Chile's freely elected leftist government in 1973 is a cousin to Alain Resnais's La Guerre Est Finie, Gillo Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers, and Costa-Gavras's Z and Missing; it's an unapologetically angry piece of political cinema decrying the brutal suppression of human freedom. Beginning with Allende's 1970 election, Soto painstakingly documents the conspiracy to end Chile's social reforms with a military coup headed by General Augusto Pinochet. It's hardly subtle: The pure-of-heart Marxist activists, idealistic students, and salt-of-earth working-class peasants heroically stand up to a conspiracy of corrupt businessmen, fascist military officers, and the American CIA in a fight that, we know from history, dooms them to martyrdom. Soto's tangled narrative timeline jumps back and forth without warning, a confusing design to say the least, and his portraits of the heroes and villains are little better than agitprop. Then again, this is less a history lesson than a political statement, and he pulls no punches in his damning accusations, from the greed of multinationals and American interests to the vicious executions of leftists, intellectuals, and artists in the wake of the coup. It's a gripping true story that will have most viewers just as angry by the final frames. As the ailing Pinochet tries to sidestep responsibility of human-rights violations under his rule, the film couldn't be more timely. The title, by the way, is a code used by the leftist defenders. --Sean Axmaker Product Description It's September of 1973, and Santiago, the capital city of Chile, is about to witness a bloody war. Soon, army tanks, directed by General Augustin Pinochet, will invade the peaceful city streets, setting the stage for a brutal coup d'etat, masterminded by America's C.I.A. "It's Raining on Santiago" is a powerful, dramatic re-telling of the events surrounding the military takeover of President Salvador Allendeu's government. Shot in a gritty realistic style with a talented ensemble cast, this film is a moving and gripping account of a country's struggle for survival against the dark forces of fascism.