‘Even the Rain’ Takes Preachy Approach to Powerful Story

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CHICAGO – Actress-turned-filmmaker Icíar Bollaín has an important story to tell in her fifth directorial feature, “Even the Rain.” The film is drenched in self-importance, nearly all of it justifiable. Historical events are eerily and poignantly re-enacted against a fascinating modern backdrop, drawing parallels between past and present corruption. It’s regrettable that this great idea was given such a workmanlike execution.
 
Infamous outspoken historian Howard Zinn assisted screenwriter Paul Laverty with his research for the story, which takes place on the eve of the Bolivian Water War in April of 2000. Into the volatile city of Cochabamba enters a film crew led by opportunistic producer Costa (Luis Tosar) and impassioned director Sebastian (Gael García Bernal). They’ve decided to shoot their new project about Spain’s conquest of the Americas in Bolivia rather than Santo Domingo primarily because the locals will work for much less.
 
Many of the film’s early sequences suggest the playful tone of a mockumentary, as the filmmakers attempt to maintain control over their production as the surrounding location spirals into chaos. Costa is so focused on the bottom line that he’s incapable of comprehending the significance of the protests forming in the streets. He’s irritated that one of the film’s key local actors, Daniel (remarkable newcomer Juan Carlos Aduviri), is vocally assisting in the revolt against the privatization of Cochabamba’s water supply. After Daniel’s activism threatens to derail the filming schedule, Costa resorts to blackmail in order to keep the actor quiet. When the desperate producer exclaims, “Can no one else do this water stuff?”, his sheer ignorance borders on the comical. Yet the film’s surface narrative ultimately concerns itself with Costa’s awakening humanitarianism, as he starts to connect with the locals as people rather than discount props.

Gael García Bernal stars in Icíar Bollaín’s Even the Rain.
Gael García Bernal stars in Icíar Bollaín’s Even the Rain.
Photo credit: Vitagraph Films

Meanwhile, Sebastian becomes increasingly focused on the success of his project, believing that its message will outlast the current turmoil. He intends his picture to be a cautionary tale about Christopher Columbus’s exploitation of the indigenous people, yet he doesn’t count on witnessing firsthand the same exploitation being waged by multinational corporations. He immediately senses a rebellious spirit in Daniel, and appropriately casts him in the role of Hatuey, known to history scholars as the first Indian leader whose opposition to invading Christians resulted in him being burned at the stake. Without that sequence, Sebastian believes that he doesn’t have a film. He also makes sure to include the characters of Bartolomé de las Casas and Antonio des Montesinos, two heroic Catholic priests who were the first to speak out against Columbus’s savage treatment of Indians and championing of the slave trade. Sebastian recreates sequences in which Columbus drains the Indians of their gold while keeping them under the constant threat of violence.
 
It’s clear that Bollaín shares Sebastian’s idealism, since she shot her own film on location in Cochabamba and utilized local actors in order to make a powerful social statement. Her goal is to parallel Columbus with capitalism and gold with water. In that respect, she succeeds admirably. Several of the scenes Sebastian stages before his camera take on a powerful life of their own, such as a sequence where one of the priests delivers a haunting monologue, defending the Indians’ inherent humanity with the line, “The truth has many enemies.” Soon, artifice and reality blur to the point of irrelevance, as the victimized locals lead a resistance that seems to be taking place in both time periods. In a drunken stupor, Anton (a scene-stealing Karra Elejalde) is all too convincing in the role of Columbus, despite the fact that he hates the man. There’s a terrific scene early in the film where Anton engages in a debate with his fellow cast members about whether Columbus was conservative or radical, considering that he wanted to give Indians freedom—while under the British crown.

Even the Rain opened Feb. 25 at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema.
Even the Rain opened Feb. 25 at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema.
Photo credit: Vitagraph Films

With its portrayal of successful protests that reaped rewarding results, “Rain” takes on a striking poignance in light of the recent events in Egypt. It’s chilling to observe scenes where Bolivian protestors lead a blockade of their city, while gathering the same primitive weapons they had utilized 500 years ago to preserve their innate rights. A great film could’ve been made from this material, but Bollaín scores a respectable triumph rather than a knock-out. For all of its perceptive historical detail, Laverty’s script is littered with dialogue that’s too “on the nose” to truly provoke many thoughts, apart from the obvious. The third act unfolds far too neatly, with Costa undergoing an internal transformation that’s simply too extreme to ring true. Even when he talks Sebastian into completing the project late in the film, he appears to be doing it for his own interests, rather than those of his crew. Both Tosar and Bernal deliver reliably solid work, though the obvious standout of the cast is Aduviri, whose angular face would’ve been a natural fit in Terrence Malick’s “The New World.” His final confrontation with Costa in an abandoned soundstage is easily the film’s emotional highpoint.
 
Though this picture may fall short as a resonant work of art, it could very well succeed as a compelling teaching tool for viewers unfamiliar with the history it explores. Aside from some strong language, the film keeps potential violence and nudity offscreen, allowing it to fall safely within PG-13 territory.

‘Even the Rain’ stars Luis Tosar, Gael García Bernal, Juan Carlos Aduviri, Karra Elejalde, Raúl Arévalo, Cassandra Ciangherotti, Sonia Ovando and Milena Soliz. It was written by Paul Laverty and directed by Icíar Bollaín. It opened Feb. 25 at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema. It is not rated.

HollywoodChicago.com staff writer Matt Fagerholm

By MATT FAGERHOLM
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
matt@hollywoodchicago.com

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