Irina Gallardo

After the 1973 coup, thousands of Chileans emigrated to East Germany. Some collaborated with the DEFA film company on more than 50 films. These films address, both personally and collectively, that turbulent period of political violence and exile. These films remain almost unknown until now.

Twelve-year-old Isabel and her mother, who was a famous political singer, had to escape Chile after the 1973 military coup. Isabel’s father stayed behind fighting in the underground. For six years, they have lived in a new apartment building in East Berlin. At first, the neighbors made an effort to welcome them, but later became more distant. Isabel does not feel at home in the strange country. Not even her friendship to Philip, the neighbors’ son, can change her mind. Almost every day, Isabel sits on the stairs waiting for a letter from her father, from whom she has not heard for many years.

Chile, 1814. During the independence war, a militia peasant wakes up deaf among the dead. As he wanders, he rescues a young hussar who has lost his sight in recent combat. Abandoned, they decide to return together to their homeland, avoiding irrational events that the war has left in its wake. However, as they move away from the battlefield, it’s their injuries and nature that silently threaten to break their will to survive.