AFI Latin American Film Festival: THE MELTDOWN + Reception
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Centerpiece Screening | Post-screening reception sponsored by the Embassy of Chile on Oct. 6 An Antarctic iceberg is transported to the other side of the world to be exhibited as a symbol of the impressive natural resources of a country eager to rebrand itself after the end of an oppressive and divisive dictatorship. Meanwhile, Ines, a lonely child staying at her grandparents’ southern resort in Chile, befriends a teenage German ski champion named Hannah and witnesses her family’s dealings with foreign investors, as well as the ways they cope with potentially damaging truths. As in her award-winning debut CHILE ‘76, director Manuela Martelli’s background as an actor (B-HAPPY, MACHUCA) informs her directorial style as she draws intense performances from her cast, particularly newcomer Maya O’Rourke as Ines. O’Rourke’s portrayal of a nine-year-old experiencing personal awakenings also reveals the contradictions of Chile’s return to democracy in the early 1990s; her family’s handling of H
