The Settlers (2023)
I am allways keen on watching world cinema westerns, so this production from Chile looked really interesting. Starts off great with heavy percussion theme and big red titles cards, giving a bit of a spaghetti western inspired vibe. Though with its relentless brutality it is more akin to The Nightingale.
Non-American westerns often use the genre to tell a story about the brutality of western colonisers and their treatment of the natives. This is based on real events where the indigenous people of the southern tip of South America were victims of a genocide by settlers.
It is a tough watch as these things are, and also somewhat hard to understand what the films intentions are, as the main character is almost unreadable throughout the film. I think it isn’t just about the genocidal actions, honorific as they are, it is really about how the concept of nations and borders destroys the unique nomadic culture. Not everything fits into the western idea of civilization and nations, and I think this movie shows that resistance. There is a really strong scene at the end that made most of the film fall into place for me in that regard.
Rating: 3.5