Using the Bolivian water crisis as the subject matter for Even The Rain (También la lluvia), director Icíar Bollaín packs an intense rebellion into his 2010 Spanish drama. The flick is based around a film crew who comes to Cochabamba, Bolivia, to shoot a period piece about Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the New World.
Sebastián (Gael García Bernal, best known stateside for The Motorcycle Diaries and Y Tu Mamá También) and Costa (Luis Tosar), who are in charge of shooting the film, use impoverished locals as extras due to limited funds. But when the powers-that-be (the government) decide to privatise the region’s water utilities and prohibit the people’s right to collect rainwater, the filmmakers are caught in the midst of an uprising.
$5 for Film Society members, $8 for non-members. April 13, 7:30 p.m. Theatre Charlotte, 501 Queens Road. For more information, visit www.charlottefilmsociety.com.
This article appears in Apr 10-16, 2013.
