Colonia

¿Alguien dispuesto a presenciar la tortura de la frágil y tierna Emma Watson? Esto es puro sadomasoquismo... Recientemente he visto dos películas de la historia de Chile, con varias décadas de diferencia en el tiempo. Me dio la impresión de que debe ser el país más brutal y loco de Sudamérica. Al mismo tiempo, no debo olvidar La casa de los espíritus correspondiente al mismo período que Colonia. El régimen y el golpe de estado de Pinochet causaron mucha violencia y dolor, que combinados con los nazis fugitivos, crearon un verdadero infierno. Realmente no es agradable ver Colonia, pero es bueno que se hagan películas así y esperemos que nunca volvamos a ver semejantes abominaciones, incluso cuando la dirección actual del mundo no indica que sea así. En cuanto a la interpretación, no puedo dejar de mencionar al políglota Daniel y al fenomenal Michael Nyqvist; lo vi por primera vez en Millennium 1: Los hombres que no amaban a las mujeres en un papel absolutamente positivo. Pero desde entonces, sólo interpretó a sinvergüenzas, malvados y cretinos. Es una pena que un actor así ya no esté con nosotros. (21.11.2023)

En algunos momentos se utilizan de forma estúpida clichés baratos de las películas de género de Hollywood. Pero a la vez hay una sólida línea romántica, cuyo contraste es fascinantemente bizarro (el micro mundo de la colonia, sus personajes y leyes internas). El espectador queda aterrorizado por la crueldad de la dominación y la impotencia de las víctimas, y sobre todo es todo el tiempo MUY intrigante. El villano interpretado por Nyqvist es realmente muy repugnante. (21.03.2016)

If I were to approach Colonia as a so-called serious film that tries to analyze the political situation in Chile after Pinochet's coup and also examines the functioning of closed religious communities, I would have to unconditionally give it a negative rating, and quite radically. Fortunately, being well-informed, I have always perceived Colonia as an adventurous thriller with a strong romantic subplot that perceives the political situation after the military coup only as a backdrop for its storytelling. Within the genre, it is certainly above average. The film is well cast, especially Michael Nyqvist as the sect leader, who acts appropriately corrupted and demonic. He truly relishes the role. Of course, weaknesses and flaws can be found in the screenplay, especially in the last ten minutes when Colonia imitates the finale of Argo, which comes across rather comically. While in Argo, you felt like the Ayatollahs were breathing down your neck, while here the ending seems somewhat naive. However, the main thing is that, practically throughout the film, it maintains its pace and tension in line with what it wants to be. It simply entertains. I thus have no reason to give it less than 4 stars and a 75% overall impression. (18.05.2016)

In collective scenes sufficiently predatory and absorbing, in moments of terror it forces you to avert your gaze. As a whole, in its message of freedom of spirit, mind, and humanity, it does not fail; in the possibility that something like this is real even in modern history, it is fatally depressing. When looking at the flawless Emma Watson and the captivating Daniel Brühl, I am willing to forgive a few minor stumbles because the content outweighs the importance of the screenplay form this time. (12.04.2016)

It isn’t always necessary, but in the case of this movie, I strongly recommend reading the entire summary and taking in every word of it first, so that you know what you are getting into. It will help a lot with the movie itself, which just puts the viewer into the middle of the action, and they don’t have time to find their feet. It puts you into the middle of the action so uncompromisingly that the only thing you can focus on is Daniel Brühl and Emma Watson. Well, and they showed how important members of European cinema they are, because I was completely blown away by their characters. But the whole movie isn’t only about their characters, it is mainly about the whole story, which you probably wouldn’t believe actually happened in the 1970s in Chile. But, as they say, anything is possible on our planet and so I watched with horror the lawlessness our world had to witness. What is funny is the fact that even though the world knew about it, nobody really fought against it. Again, the rule saying anything that happens in a particular state stays in the particular state applies. After a long time a very high-quality European movie that stretches out of the borders of Europe with its story and also actors. Even Michael Nyqvist had fun with his character… You still don’t find it strange that the Germans are behind a story like this, again? (25.05.2016)