TAMBIEN LA LLUVIA (EVEN THE RAIN)

Spain, 2010, 104 minutes, Colour
Luis Tosar, Gael Garcia Bernal, Juan Carlos Aduviri, Karra Elejalde, Carlos Santos, Raoul Aravelo.
Directed by Iciar Bollain.

Spain’s nominee for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film, 2010.
It was written by longtime collaborator with Ken Loach, Scot Paul Laverty. It was directed by actress turned director, Iciar Bollain.

Probably, the film is best described as three films in one.

The first story is the making of a film in Bolivia about Columbus, his reports to Ferdinand and Isabella, his attitude towards the Indians, benign at first, but the greed for gold led to exploitation and Indian retaliation. The proposed film is based on the life and pro-Indian work of Dominicans, Bartolomeo Las Casas and the crusading priest Montesinos. The culmination is the burning of a number of Indians fixed to crosses. These sequences are interspersed throughout the film.

The second story is the production personnel story, the idealism of the young director, Sebastian (Gael Garcia Bernal in a better role than in recent Hollywood comedies), inspired by Las Casas and Montesinos, wanting to condemn the Conquistador version of imposed Christianity and to show the more Gospel humanity of the Dominican friar. Luis Tosar appears as producer, Costa, pragmatic, a wheeler-dealer who is alert to trouble, aiming to forestall it.

The third story is that of the Water Wars in 2000 in the city of Cochabamba where the Indians dig a tunnel channel of seven kilometres to bring water to the villagers but were stopped by the right-wing government in favour of Anglo- American multinational interests and investments to control the water supply and, as the title indicates, control even the rain.
Protests led to demonstrations which led to riots which led to city blockades and armed attack.

Linking the stories is a shrewd Indian leader, Daniel, who has worked as a labourer in the US, sees through the producer’s exploitative wage tactics and gets a significant role along with his young daughter. But, his high protest profile leads to TV coverage, his arrest and his daughter’s being wounded in the attacks. There is a climax for both Sebastian, the idealist, and Costa, the pragmatist, when Daniel’s wife begs the entourage leaving the city to find her daughter and get her to hospital.

Made in Bolivia, Even the Rain, re-lives the Water Wars (and many of the extras were re-enacting what they did in 2000).

Paul Laverty has been able to show his social conscience and awareness in his Loach films and often brings a Catholic sensibility (and some years of seminary training and admiration for Latin American Basic Christian Communities) to his screenplays.

This film is interesting in its portrayal of harshly imposed Catholicism and its more hopeful Gospel humanity – and in parallels the foreign invasive exploitation and greed of Columbus’ day with the 21st century Water Wars equivalent.

1. The perspective on Latin America? The Scots writer, the Spanish director, the European perspective and conscience?

2. The Bolivian settings, appropriate for Christopher Columbus or not? The mountains, the vistas, the re-creation of the period? The contrast with the present, the city of Cochabamba? The modern city, the vistas, the large city, the streets and cars, the buildings, hotels? The contrast with the poverty in the surrounding countryside? The issue of water, the channel being built for seven kilometres? Authentic atmosphere? The musical score?

3. The background of the real Water Wars, 2000? The role of the multinationals, the local government officials, right-wing? Exploiting the situation, the attitude towards the Indians, condescending? Demonstrations, riots, the police, the chanting, the arrests? The government attitude, sending in the police? The build-up, the greater riots, the blockade of the city, the Water Wars and the attacks, the wounded, the hospitals, money and corruption getting results, getting cars through the blockades? The atmosphere of unrest in Cochabamba?

4. The device of the TV news, communication, the giving of information, the visualising of the riots? The characters watching the television coverage?

5. The Water Wars and the comparison with the invasion of Columbus, the Spanish? Greed and religion? Exploitation, slaves, looking down on the natives, thinking them inhuman? The parallels between the Spanish invasion and the water wars?

6. The film group, Costa and Sebastian, arriving, their hopes, Sebastian and his enthusiasm for his screenplay, Columbus and his role in history, the invasion, the exploitation, the use of Christianity and imposing it? The importance of the huge cross, brought in by helicopter, the group lifting it in, falling, succeeding? The importance of Bartolomeo Las Casas and his commitment to the indigenous people? (Despite the actor portraying Columbus voicing different charges of racism and exploitation against Las Casas but their being refuted – of his refuting his earlier stances and his mistakes?) The importance of the priest Montesinos and his stance for the natives, his sermon, the voice crying in the desert, telling the invaders that they were in mortal sin? Sebastian and his reading the letters of Montesinos, of Las Casas, of Columbus? Sebastian and his dedication?

7. The auditions, the long lines for extras, the crowds, choosing the few? Maria and her presence, her camera, The Making of … documentary? Daniel and his demands in the queue, the document that everybody would be seen? Present with his daughter? Costa and his immediate attitude as producer? Sebastian with the softer approach, wanting Daniel to be allowed to test? The test and its success, his piercing eyes? The arguments?

8. The historical sequences: the initial sequence in modern dress, Columbus, the arrival, the officers, the speculation, the people, his more moderate approach, the report to Ferdinand and Isabella? His addressing the staff with the tables of food – performance? The scenes with the Indians and with Daniel? The makeup? The sequence of the pursuit of the Indians, and their killing the troops? The speeches of Las Casas and his defending the Indians? Montesinos and his famous sermon? The demands of Columbus, the filling of the containers with gold? The weighing of the gold, those failing, the young girl being let through, the man filling his container with sand, the brutality of having his arm chopped off? The fact that the group watched the rushes in the theatre, the young girl and her pride in her performance, the praise, telling her father? The importance of the cross and death sequences, getting Daniel out of jail? The speeches of the Indians, their cursing of the Christians, Las Casas not translating it, his appeal for mercy, being overridden? The cumulative effect of these sequences? The narrative from Columbus to the time of Las Casas? The enslavement of the Indians?

9. Costa as producer, getting the money, being on the spot, the phone calls, the backers? With Daniel, the television reports of the riots, arguing with him, with the officials? The argument about the money – talking in English and Daniel understanding it because of his time in the United States? The crisis, the need for the scenes to be completed, Costa and his friendship with Daniel, his wife and daughter? With the Bolivian officials, the discussion about the Water Wars? The decision to leave, to uproot the production, his going into the studio with the set of the boat, the cross? Teresa and her request for her daughter, his decision to stay behind, driving, helping, the pragmatic man whose heart was touched, seeing the wounded, driving through the city, at the hospital, paying to get through the lines?

10. The actor playing Columbus, his drinking, his loyalty to the film? His ironic comments about Las Casas? The actors portraying Las Casas and Montesinos, their being afraid, wanting to go – the opposite of the characters they were portraying? Maria, wanting to stay, her decision to leave? The cars and the convoy leaving, the dangers, the road block, the crew being taken to the airport? Sebastian staying? Sebastian and his pleading with Costa not to go – and his sitting on the hill, contemplating the failure of his dream?

11. Daniel, his experience, strong character, the protests and the chants, the demonstrations, his arrest, the encounters with Costa, Costa and Sebastian paying for his release, the corrupt official at the jail, promising to have him back, the success of the scenes, his being rearrested, the Indians turning the vehicle over, his escape, finally Costa seeing him in the building, his expressing his gratitude to Costa, the gift of the bottle of water and its symbolism?

12. The character of Sebastian, a man of vision, his work as a director, anxieties, his decision to stay – the idealist, not practical?

13. The overall effect of the historical story and its significance? Its picture of Christianity, cruel, conquistador? Its picture of Christianity and its humanity especially with Las Casas? The final sequence with the dying Indians, the demand for conversion, the question about Heaven or Hell, the cursing of the Christian God? Las Casas and Montesinos as the core of the Gospel message? The personal story, the interactions, the production of the film? The Water Wars story – five hundred years of European occupation, the parallels between the 15th century and the 20th century and 21st century?