Yesterday I just saw an excellent Spanish film about water rights in Bolivia, “También la Lluvia” (Even the Rain). This engaging movie was directed by Icíar Bollaín, and it raises many complex issues about exploitation, imperialism, human rights, religion and access to clean water.
The story follows a filmmaker, played by Gael García Bernal, who brings a film crew to Bolivia to shoot a movie about Spanish imperialism and the enslavement of the indigenous people. Bernal and his crew arrive at the turn of the century, during the explosive protests of the Cochabamba water crisis, as foreign companies are attempting to privatize the local water supply.
There are also many eerie and revelatory parallels between the events that occurred 500 years ago at the hands of the cruel and sadistic Spanish, and what is happening in the region in the present day. The powerful film raises many complicated issues, and it still continues to resonate with me. The movie is also dedicated to the memory of the brilliant Howard Zinn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbpdeI0ugGc
If you would like to see a more straight forward documentary approach that offers a great deal of insight into the global struggle for clean water, I also recommend the compelling film “Flow“.
