Machuca: Socialism vs. Militarism in S. America

1). When Gonzalo and Pedro met for the first time in class you saw them looking at each other intently. Neither one of them said anything - just looking at each other most likely thinking "Who is this person and what are they like?". We know that the newer kids in class were probably going to have a hard time fitting in because they were from the other side of the tracks so to speak. Integrating them into the "rich kids" school. Gonzalo appears to be the quiet and one who doesn't say too much He gets teased often by the other kids in his school but he doesn't seem to mind. Pedro on the other hand doesn't take any crap from any of them. So this kind of gives us an idea of each characters personality early on in the film. Gonzalo earned Pedro's friendship in the schoolyard when he Gonzalo knocked the other kids off Pedro. At this point Pedro knew he could trust Gonzalo and I believe this was the beginning of their friendship. As time went on Gonzalo spent much time with Pedro and his friends. He even went to demonstrations to pass out flags to help earn money for their families who were barely getting by as it was. Gonzalo got to see first hand how Pedro lived. Pedro even hesitated at first to invite Gonzalo to his home most likely because he was embarrassed. This was a crucial time for Gonzalo because for the first time he really saw how different their lifestyles really were. Politics played no role in their friendship whatsoever. But that changed shortly after General Pinochet took over and the military was moving in to remove everyone from the "shantytown" as it was called. Gonzalo was riding his bike through all the mayhem when he came to Pedro's house and saw what was happening. One of the guards even grabbed Gonzalo to take him into custody as "one of them" until he said "Just look at me". This was as if he was saying "I am in no way like any of them". Pedro had heard him say this and at that point it was clear there was now a void between them. The social classes were put into perspective by that comment. Gonzalo and Pedro's eyes met and you could see that Pedro was thinking "How could you say something like that". This would be the last time they would see each other. There must have been some guilt that Gonzalo was experiencing because he went back to the site of Pedro's "Shantytown" but - everything was gone. So was his friend Pedro. Could he have helped Pedro somehow?
2). Distinguishing the differences between the two classes was easy. We can see who has the money and who doesn't by how each class dresses. There was a scene when Pedro was at Gonzalo's house and he was looking at all of his things intently. He even commented on Gonzalo's closet asking "Are all those yours!?" As if asking Gonzalo if he had to share any of those clothes with anyone else. A comment like this leads us to believe that Pedro must not have very much at all as far as tangible items goes. Gonzalo gave Pedro a pair of sneakers and Pedro was on cloud nine running in place with excitement. Tangible items were far and few for Pedro.
Because the country was more or less falling apart at this time and there were more and more strikes everyday necessities could only be bought on the black market. Well, the rich did not have any problems getting what they needed because they had the money but since there was no work and therefore no money coming in it was much more difficult for the blue collared people to make ends meet. In this case Pedro had to hit the streets selling flags and cigarettes for money along with others from his community to gather as much cash as they could to survive.
3). I think one of the messages the film is trying to portray here is "Why can't we all just get along?" It is easier said than done though. There was a scene where a young woman stated that "No matter what happened to the animals it was always my fathers fault". It seems to be much easier to blame others when things go wrong rather than trying to work things out. Yes we come from different backgrounds and yes some of us have more money than others but why does that have to mean anything? Unfortunately since the dawn of man this is how it has been - but why? You would think we would have learned from our mistakes by now and changed how we live in this world. You see innocent young children who are "taught" how to think about other people and cultures rather than letting them decide for themselves what to think. Gonzalo was neutral in this regard and was open to making friends with Pedro even though he was not in the same "class" as Pedro. It appeared he did not care from what background Pedro came, he just saw another child who he thought needed a friend. Maybe Gonzalo felt sorry for Pedro? He was an outsider that was in an unfamiliar situation and he offered his friendship to ease the transition. Fr. McEnroe was reaching out as well hoping maybe that the community would be behind him in what he was trying to do. This obviously did not work. The rich did not want to budge. Little did they know it was their own children causing the problems, & not the other way around.
Another message from this film would be that it only takes one man in power to ruin a country. Allende's socialist and communistic ways drove the country into the ground causing a major depression. People were losing their jobs and basic needs were unattainable because of what Allende had caused. As in any country though disaster could strike. It only takes one person to convince many that they know what is right for the country - or is it?
4). I find it disheartening that a country could discriminate its own people. Although it happens every day everywhere we look. We are to assume at the end of the film Pedro's people are being persecuted for a reason. What reason? Are they a threat to their country? Hardly. They are being discriminated against because their views may be a little different. As a culture though they are all pretty much the same - aren't they? I could really see no difference between Gonzalo and Pedro except for their clothes and lifestyles. They spoke the same language - had similar interests. Discrimination is what kills. As a country and as an individual. Who is the government to judge people the way they do. Every country has its problems but it is the smaller countries who have been literally getting away with murder. I just find it so hard to believe that a country can kill its own - and get away with it. The end of the film is a good example of this. An innocent girl is trying to defend a man she calls "Dad" as he is kicked and beaten. She is of no real threat the the military men but she is shot anyway. Was this justified - No! But will anything come it - No! This is no way to run a country.