Machuca

                Gonzalo and Pedro become classmates in an all-boys school. Gonzalo is from a rich family. He lives in a nice home, has his own room and a lot of clothes compared to Pedro. Pedro’s family lives in a shantytown village with an outhouse. Similarly, both of these boys are seeking friendship as they are ignored or picked on by others. They are both bullied by the other boys at school and eventually they start taking up for one another and this brings them together. The boys start spending days after school together. Gonzalo goes over to Pedro’s house. He observes the parents working, including Pedro’s mother. Gonzalo is disgusted by the use of the outhouse. Pedro gets to sleep over at Gonzalo’s house. He is amazed at the amount of clothing he has and his Adidas shoes. The boys are experiencing the joys of being kids together as they consume alcohol and learn how to kiss a girl. The friendship continues to grow but is interrupted by reminders of the difference in social class, which is reflected throughout the movie. Gonzalo is referred to as “strawberry” or “blonde”; with his fair skin and hair. The abandoned girl, Silvana, refers to Gonzalo as the “snob”. Gonzalo is deeply disturbed when he sees his mother demonstrating at a protest in Chile. She is fighting for the military which Pedro and his family along with Gonzalo are protesting against. I believe the main message is that social class does divide people and in this case, destroys or eliminates the boys’ friendship.

            Father McEnroe is supportive of his leftist views allowing an integration of lower and upper class to come together at the school. He is always teaching the boys to respect one another. He is overpowered at the end of the movie and replaced when the military takes over. The Father eats all the wafers for communion, stating” God is no longer in this place”. Pedro, as well as other boys, is expelled from the school for not supporting the military. Raids break out in the slum communities were Pedro’s family lives. Gonzalo went to check on his friend, where he watched families being separated and some even killed, including Silvana. Gonzalo was almost taken captive but was freed when he said “look at me”. His fair skin and nice clothes saved him. Gonzalo used class to distinguish himself from his new friend and his family.