What thoughts do you have about the interaction between these two children?
Gonzalo and Pedro were brought together by Father McEnroe who offered scholarships to a few children in the "shanty towns." There friendship prospered based on the fact that they both were bullied. Gonzalo stood up for Pedro and their friendship blossomed from there. They were typical young boys and enjoyed being children. They didn't seem to notice that they were from two completely different worlds. Neither boy seemed to mind the differences in their social class and in actuality spent more time in the "shanty town" then they did at Gonzalo's house. When it came to girls they both seemed to take interest in the same girl and didn't mind sharing her. I feel that they both acted like typical boys and didn't judge each other.
Were you able to see the differences between two social classes, the rich and the poor in Chile?
The social classes were obvious in this movie. The first we saw of the differences was at the school when the poor children were brought in. Their clothes were tattered and they didn't have the clothes to participate in swim class. You can also see the differences in the cars that were driven. Gonzalo's mom drove a nice car while Pedro's uncle drove a run down truck. You can also see the difference in the housing. The "shanty towns" were run down and there were many people crowded into the houses. Whereas Gonzalo had a nice clean house with a nanny and had many luxuries like nice toys, clothes, shoes and plenty of food. It was very eye opening to see the difference in the two social classes.
What messages can you obtain from this film?
One message that I obtained was that many children wear "rose colored" glasses. They don't seem to care about social status, they just want to be friends and have fun. Another message I got was that everyone is human. As much as Gonzalo loved his friends and didn't want to see them hurt, when push came to shove he didn't mind throwing his social status out there to save his own life. He knew that his Pedro would be killed and although he didn't agree with it he didn't want to die.
Add your personal thoughts about film, content, culture, social issues, etc.
It was amazing to me to see the total disregard for human life that we see in this film. When the military came in they had no remorse in "disposing" of the poor and ruining their town. We hear about this genocide in Germany with the Jews and it is hard to think that many years after the Jews something like this happened again. It is disgusting that people could do something like this and never feel they were doing something wrong. It makes me glad everyday when I wake up in the US and can treasure my freedom.
I enjoyed reading your blog. I agree that they became close because they had both been bullied, although I really hadn't considered that until I read it in your post. I too found it interesting that they spent more time in the place that Machuca called home. I think I somehow expected Gonzalos to step in and save Machuca's family and was somewhat saddened by him fleeing the way he did. But I also understand that he was just a young boy and would probably have suffered the same fate as Sylvana if he had tried. I spent several years working at an Orthodox Jewish Home and visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. with some of the patients. It was heart wrenching to see them looking for names and photos of their loved ones, and to hear their first hand accounts of what it was like to live through something of this magnitude. My grandfather fought in WWII to protect our freedom and I also feel fortunate to be here!
ReplyDeleteThe issue of bulling brings young people together even in today's society.
ReplyDeleteGreat thought. Thank you