(Spoilers below, although the plot is kind of predictable.)
Four rich kids and their problems over a summer in Santiago. Their problems turn out to be pretty much the same as rich kids' problems anywhere, but with a few interesting twists--especially the girl who ends up ashamed, rather than proud, of her parents' political persecution under the old regime. I thought the treatment of the nanny who loves her charge inappropriately was more than a little unfair--although there is one line expressing some sympathy for her, she is dispatched with seemingly no concern about how she is going to eat or support her baby, and no one seeming to think that the boy (a privileged male in an ultra-machismo culture, after all) should take any responsibility for his treatment of her. So ultimately the film sets up some very interesting political, sexual, and especially class tensions but then fails to confront them--in the end, these 4 rich kids slide along on their privilege, and we are supposed to approve this display of the power of friendship. Still, it is always interesting to see places and people you don't usually see on the screen (and as another comment mentions, you really do get a sense of Santiago and its outskirts).
Four rich kids and their problems over a summer in Santiago. Their problems turn out to be pretty much the same as rich kids' problems anywhere, but with a few interesting twists--especially the girl who ends up ashamed, rather than proud, of her parents' political persecution under the old regime. I thought the treatment of the nanny who loves her charge inappropriately was more than a little unfair--although there is one line expressing some sympathy for her, she is dispatched with seemingly no concern about how she is going to eat or support her baby, and no one seeming to think that the boy (a privileged male in an ultra-machismo culture, after all) should take any responsibility for his treatment of her. So ultimately the film sets up some very interesting political, sexual, and especially class tensions but then fails to confront them--in the end, these 4 rich kids slide along on their privilege, and we are supposed to approve this display of the power of friendship. Still, it is always interesting to see places and people you don't usually see on the screen (and as another comment mentions, you really do get a sense of Santiago and its outskirts).