Current Date:March 29, 2024
Dawson Isla 10

Movie 4 d week : Dawson Isla 10 (2009)

Review by Vinoo
Language : Spanish
Director : Miguel Littin

The army under General Augusto Pinochet took over Chile after a CIA-assisted coup against the democratically elected socialist government of Salvadore Allende. Members in the Allende cabinet were sent to a concentration camp in Dawson Island (an island in the Strait of Magellan that forms part of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, south of Chile and known for some harsh Antarctic weather and home to political prisoners) under the strict supervision of the Chilean navy. The film tells the horrific tale of the inhuman treatment meted out to the political prisoners and the extreme weather conditions they had to endure. The story is as narrated by Sergio Bitar, political prisoner No.10 at Dawson Island, in his book ‘Isla 10’, written in 1975. The inmates were not allowed to use their real names and had to respond to the numbers they were given according to their barracks, like ‘Isla 10’ for Segio Bitar for instance. The film is an almost documentary recreation of the torture that the political prisoners suffered under the Pinochet dictatorship.
Almost 300 people were killed or went missing during  the Pinochet dictatorship. Over 28,000 people are believed to have been tortured by the regime.  The film ends on a positive note with text that tells about the closure of Dawson Island concentration camp and the role these men will go on to play in the formation of the Chile of today. Sergio Bitar went on to become the Minister of Public Works under the Michael Bachelet Government.
Here is why Miguel Littin made the film : “After so many years, the history of these men remained untold, as it had been erased by a dark hand. Therefore it was necessary to tell it and to tell the world; no more concentration camps, no more Guantanamos. Because we lived the dictatorship hell, it is necessary to remember and project the past to the present so that never again will there be a military dictatorship in Chile”.

Sadly it is only the stories of the propaganda machine that reaches us. This film shot on location at Dawson Island one is definitely worth a watch for the subject it takes on.

Other films of Miguel Littin include the most popular Chilean film ‘Jackal of Nahueltoro’ rated his best. He also directed ‘Acta General de Chile, ‘Long live the President’, ‘The last moon’, ‘Terra del Fuego’,, ‘Alsino and the condor’,  ‘Letters from Marusia’, ‘The promised land’, etc. He also made ‘The widow of Montiel’ based on a Gabriel Garcia Marquez short story.

This film reminded me of many other films including Billy Wilder’s ‘Stalag 17’. IFFK did well to bring Littin to Kerala couple of years back and then again thanks to them for getting ‘Dawson Isla 10’ this year. Was good to revisit Robert Altmann’s ‘Gosford Park’. Also watched ‘The Mission’ and ‘Apocalypto’. ‘Apocalypto’ is indeed an achievement. Hats off to Mel Gibson. Also watched two docus ‘The other song’ by Saba Dewan and ‘Out of thin air’ by Shabani Hassanwalia and Samreen Farooqui, courtesy IFA, Bengalooru.

Useless trivia :
‘Dawson Isla 10’ was the official selection of the Chilean government for the 82 Academy Awards for the Best Foreign Language Film in 2010.

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