Machuca Sociology

Throughout the entire film Machuca directed by Andrés Wood we see the social and political unrest of Chile during the 1970’s. While it is all presented from the prospective of school children, we get glimpses of violence, extreme poverty, and unfair distribution of wealth. The first scene from the film that is representative of Chile’s social climate is when Gonzalo first visits the slums with Pedro. When they arrive at the outskirts of Pedro’s community, Pedro gets off the bike and says that he will go from there himself. There is some hesitation to allow Gonzalo into his community, possibly out of embarrassment. Once they get to Pedro’s home it is painfully obvious that Gonzalo has never been in this type of environment. When he asks to use their restroom it is revealed that they do not have a privet, indoor restroom and that they share an outhouse. While he is sitting at the table
This meeting brought together parents from the upper-class families and the parents of the newly admitted poor children. It is evident from the very beginning that the schools new socialist policy was controversial. The poor children are bullied and told that they do not deserve to be there. The program that allowed these children to be admitted is one of many examples of the leftist changes instituted by Salvador Allende before he was ousted. During the discussion we hear opinions from both sides of the isle. The upper class parents suggest that the children just cannot mix and that their children should never have been exposed to liberal ideas, or the poverty in their country. When one woman from the slums speaks, she tells a tragic story about why she moved to that town in the first place. She says that her husband struggled to find a job and when he did find a job caring for animals on a farm he was treated unfairly. If the animals became ill, he would not be