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Analysis Of The Movie ' The Rain Offers '

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Released in 2010 to critical acclaim, Even the Rain offers insight into the events occurring before and during the Cochabamba Water War from the perspective of an outsider. Having chosen to film in Bolivia due to the high availability of cheap labor, Costa and Sebastian are not above the exploitation of natives. Especially early on, Costa represents the archetypical western businessman, an individual consumed by profits and the bottom line. In contrast, early in the film Sebastian represents the opposite, he is concerned for the people and he believes that the films message might speak to those oppressing them. This is highlighted by Sebastian’s casting of the native Bolivian Daniel as the Hatuey and offering him a relatively decent wage, as Sebastian believes he is perfect for the role. Throughout the film, there are inklings of unrest within the area they are filming in, such as the Bolivians driving away utilities workers. The unrest comes to the foreground when open protesting begins and Daniel becomes one of the leaders of the protests. These protests result in an important conversation between the mayor of Cochabamba and the film crew, in which the mayor questions whether the film crew are hypocrites and oppressors of the native Bolivians. Despite his crass language, the mayor does indeed have some valid points; members of the film crew often act as neo-colonialist oppressors, Bolivia did need foreign investment, and the result of the protests was not achieved.

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