Machuca
User Score
9.0 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 38 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 38
  3. Negative: 2 out of 38

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  1. lucasfalls
    Oct 14, 2011
    7
    Lovely film, well done and I have to say it, I am not a big fan of Chilean Movies but this is the best Chilean Film that I've ever seen. The story is so common in Chile and the actors are not brilliant but is worth seeing this movie.
  2. GarethW
    Apr 27, 2009
    6
    Ehhh. The scene with condensed milk was totally uncalled for and unnerving. The soundtrack ruined it for me, the music that was playing was often inappropriate for the tone of the scene. Think upbeat mariachi music at a funeral. Gonzalo was kind of a "chubby mope."
  3. GLENT
    Mar 13, 2008
    10
    Arguably the most viewer-friendly depiction of a bloody era in Chile. I lived in Santiago at the time, and I'm amazed about how closely the makers were able to reproduce the real street scenes; the public phone cabins, vehicles, fashion, social drama, interior design, period media, ... fascinating.
  4. AngelicaS.
    Nov 2, 2006
    10
    One of the best movies I have ever seen! It depicts Chile's political events through the friendship of 2 children - a boy from a shanty town and an upper class boy. Both of them are meant to have a future depending on their background and opportunities it provides, although being children they don't know it themselves and only the human aspect of their friendship is important to them (as it naturally is for children). Very moving, sweet story, which makes you think.… Expand
  5. zumikot
    Oct 25, 2006
    10
    This the best movie I've ever seen.
  6. KrisV.H.
    Aug 2, 2006
    10
    Excellent movie!
  7. RichardG.
    Jul 28, 2006
    10
    Rented this film from blockbuster, watched it twice and then bought it. One of the best foreign language movies I've EVER seen. Would love to see a sequel set in the present day where the two boys meet up after all those years apart. would be really interesting. Great soundtrack too!
  8. Maya
    Dec 31, 2005
    10
    If I could I would rate this above 10. Very well developed and played charactors. The story was excelent. This shows the true wall of rich and poor (applied everywhere) and yet the common dinaminator of being a human being having the same needs. I grow in Iran and this was so close to home for me.
  9. KrisV.H.
    Nov 11, 2005
    10
    Excellent movie!
  10. erikaQ.
    Oct 15, 2005
    10
    You have to see it. i personally liked that there is not narration in the movie the enables everybody including the audience t o havea personal feeling for the film.
  11. DavidM.
    May 26, 2005
    9
    This is a tewrrific story of boyhood friendship set in the social upheaval and class stugle of 1970's Chile. The characters are compelling, but the editing might have been more thoughtful.
  12. alicem.
    May 9, 2005
    9
    A wonderful film, brilliantly played. One or two scenes were a little over-sentimental (e.g. the soliloquy at the parent/teacher meeting). Otherwise fabulous.
  13. StevenK.
    May 5, 2005
    10
    This film is a must-see and should be playing to sold-out audiences. It is a beautiful and tender story, set against the backdrop of Chile under Allende, of a friendship between two boys from very different backgrounds, the upper middle-class Gonzalo Infante and Pedro Machuca from a neighbouring slum, brought together by the social experiment happening in the Chile of the time and through the intervention of a priest, Father McEnroe, at the exclusive Saint Patrick's English School. It recounts their budding friendship, their adventures and experiences, many with an older girl, Silvana, a neighbour of Machuca's, and the growing tensions leading up to the Pinochet coup, a coup foretold, and the nightmare that it leads to. A brilliant, endearing and engaging film - not to be missed!… Expand
  14. JaimeB.
    Apr 18, 2005
    10
    My undestanding of the story comes from sharing my childhood with those of the children in the film, I was 8 in 1973 in Chile. Andres Wood has done a skillfull and amazingly careful threading of the adult and childre's perspective of an ongoing unfortunate social issue. He manages to touch every emotion, but unltimately leaving you full of life, which is what we need in assisting us to correct the social injustices of the world! Fantastic!!!… Expand
  15. XavierG.
    Apr 8, 2005
    10
    It takes place in politically unstable Chile, but it is seen through the innocence of a child. One political party from another makes no difference to a child. Their eyes are purer and their thoughts are more truthful. Charged with such sadness and misery. Yet, there's so much innocence inside, which causes so much hope. All in all, it's a story of friendship. Can poor and rich be friends. The drunk father says that they can't. And in the end you find out whether or not that's true.… Expand
  16. JorgeC.
    Jan 22, 2005
    10
    A poignant story about children sufferings. The superb acting of the three children who are the protagonists of the film is superb and a credit to the film's director, Andres Wood.
  17. StuV.
    Jan 19, 2005
    10
    Best foreign film of 2004.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Michael Rechtshaffen
    80
    Packs a quiet wallop.
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  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: David Rooney
    80
    Richly human in focus, the drama steadily cranks up its political and emotional charge.
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  3. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    70
    Though Machuca ultimately doesn't shy away from taking sides, it wisely keeps the focus on the human element. The politics take place in the background until they demand the foreground.
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