Horse riding. Gunslinging. Revenge and protection. These are notable elements in a Western, Spaghetti or otherwise. But rarely do these movies contemplate the indigenous tribes that originally lived in these desert towns, right before they were chased away and killed by white colonizers. Writer-director Felipe Gálvez Haberle takes these elements to showcase a new perspective in The Settlers, with mestizo Chilean sharpshooter Segundo forced to inflict atrocities onto his fellow native Chileans by the orders of a wealthy Spanish landowner, a British officer, and an American mercenary. The landscapes captured are sublime, the portraits are vignetted, but what’s most striking is the way Gálvez mixes in cinematic Western film style with real life colonial history, dramatic conflict with historical detail on a rarely discussed genocide.
"Lacks for a dramatic centre, but all the constituent parts are worthwhile."
— David Jenkins
"This is a film that shows that, as easy as it is to forget about the past, it’s easier still when it was never taught in the first place."
— Christian Blauvelt
Chile, early 20th century. José Menéndez, a wealthy landowner, hires three horsemen to mark out the perimeter of his extensive property and open a route to the Atlantic Ocean across vast Patagonia.
Chile, 1901. Hired by wealthy Spanish landowner José Menéndez, a mestizo marksman named Segundo rides south with former English captain MacLennan and American mercenary Bill to delineate Menéndez’s land. However, their expedition turns out to be a violent hunt for the Ona people, natives of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago.
The vignettes. It adds a retro effect to the film, but it also reminds viewers about the perspectives we’re used to seeing, and the perspectives we rarely see.
No wonder this was the Chilean entry for the Academy.
Sundance
1 nomination
