Chaco
Bolivia
Diego Mondaca
In 1934, Bolivia is at war with Paraguay. Liborio and Ticona are Bolivian indigenous soldiers in the middle of the war under the commandment of General Hans Kundt, a veteran of the German army called by the Bolivian government and army to try and win the war. He is joined by a group of officials, mestizo Bolivians, lead by the courageous Colonel Rogelio, also known as the “indian eater” because of the harsh treatment he reserves for soldiers. With his four officials, he tries on several occasions to get rid of Kundt’s commandment since, according to him, it’s his fault that they are lost and that the Bolivian war campaign is a failure.
The Chaco weather is very hostile and extreme. Whether it is a drought or a thunderstorm, the weather makes it even harder for the army, mainly composed of men from the faraway altitudes of the Andes, to endure the situation.
It has been months since they have seen the enemy; certain soldiers have never seen him at all. The battle plans improvised by the General worsen the spirit and physical health of the Bolivians, unveiling olf differences and conflicts that interfere with the objectives of the troop.
The troop reduces and divides itself because the General and his Officers are constantly fighting. The drought and lack of water makes them delirious: the real enemies are the Chaco and each other.
In an act of despair, General Kundt sends, for the second time, soldier Liborio to explore the area and try and find a path out of this painful and never-ending wandering. Liborio, loyal to the General, sees this as the perfect mission to please him and, also, to show Colonel Rogelio that he’s different from the rest of the indians.
The General orders him to be accompanied by soldier Ticona. Ticona does not trust Liborio because he constantly betrays and denies himself in face of his comrades; Liborio fears that Ticona wants to take over his role siding with the General. They leave together in a search that will make them realize, progressively, the destiny they have been pushed into and the inevitable condition of a defeated troop.
Logline
A small group of indigenous Bolivian soldiers, under the commandment of a retired German General, wander in the Chaco desert looking for the Paraguayan enemy that they haven’t seen for months, and that they will never find. The monotonous grey landscape of the forest confuses them. The lack of water and food pressures them and all of their decisions are wrong, weakening the group’s spirit and generating a violent and quarrelsome environment between all of them, officials and soldiers, to the point that they try and get rid of one another. They are overcome by despair and constant uncertainty.
The Chaco weather is very hostile and extreme. Whether it is a drought or a thunderstorm, the weather makes it even harder for the army, mainly composed of men from the faraway altitudes of the Andes, to endure the situation.
It has been months since they have seen the enemy; certain soldiers have never seen him at all. The battle plans improvised by the General worsen the spirit and physical health of the Bolivians, unveiling olf differences and conflicts that interfere with the objectives of the troop.
The troop reduces and divides itself because the General and his Officers are constantly fighting. The drought and lack of water makes them delirious: the real enemies are the Chaco and each other.
In an act of despair, General Kundt sends, for the second time, soldier Liborio to explore the area and try and find a path out of this painful and never-ending wandering. Liborio, loyal to the General, sees this as the perfect mission to please him and, also, to show Colonel Rogelio that he’s different from the rest of the indians.
The General orders him to be accompanied by soldier Ticona. Ticona does not trust Liborio because he constantly betrays and denies himself in face of his comrades; Liborio fears that Ticona wants to take over his role siding with the General. They leave together in a search that will make them realize, progressively, the destiny they have been pushed into and the inevitable condition of a defeated troop.
Logline
A small group of indigenous Bolivian soldiers, under the commandment of a retired German General, wander in the Chaco desert looking for the Paraguayan enemy that they haven’t seen for months, and that they will never find. The monotonous grey landscape of the forest confuses them. The lack of water and food pressures them and all of their decisions are wrong, weakening the group’s spirit and generating a violent and quarrelsome environment between all of them, officials and soldiers, to the point that they try and get rid of one another. They are overcome by despair and constant uncertainty.
Support:
Festivals and Awards:
Rotterdam 2020, section Bright Future
World Sales:
Color Monster