A young couple, Lena (Emma Watson) and Daniel (Daniel Bruhl), are enjoying each other’s company in Chile when shit hits the fan. She’s just a flight attendant but he’s a journalist who’s become politically involved, so when the country undergoes a military coup in 1973, he’s fingered in a lineup and disappeared by Pinochet’s secret police.
He winds up at Colonia Dignidad, on the face just another weird cult run by a crazy preacher named Paul Schäfer but, in fact, it also doubles as a torture prison. Lena decides joining the cult is her best bet to save Daniel, so in she goes, putting herself at the mercy of a nutbar pedophile cult leader and his woman-beating cronies. This is the kind of movie into which you can never lose yourself entirely because you keep pulling yourself out of it to yell at the protagonists. You know in a horror movie the whole theatre is practically yelling “Don’t go in there” but of course she goes in there, even though we all knew better? And she gets diced into a million bite-sized pieces? Well this is one of those movies, except it isn’t a horror, and there’s no excuse for doing what it does. Bad writing, I suspect, and a movie that doesn’t really know what it wants to be when it grows up. With two idiot protagonists who keep making the dumbest decisions ever, you won’t care whether they live or die. And for a film that’s trying to shed some light on a pretty gruesome chapter in Chilean history, it’s also succumbing to the misplaced love story temptation. Because nothing overcomes a cruel dictator like True Love between nitwits.
“With two idiot protagonists who keep making the dumbest decisions ever, you won’t care whether they live or die” Lol! I really do that with some films – let them die , they wasted my time and energy!
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I know. I don’t do well with these kinds of protagonists.
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The sad thing is this was based on a true story lol. I liked this though, despite Emma Watson being the wooden actress that she was. Bruhl was good, at least.
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20 minutes in, Sean said “That guy was a real dick in to someone in something.”
I shamefully had to tell him he was thinking of Captain America.
I think it was more interesting to just read about Colonia Dignidad than to watch this movie.
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Haha! This made me laugh. Especially when you compared it to a horror movie and how the audience yells at the protagonists not to do stupid things. Anyway, I have this in my Netflix queue because, well…Emma. I don’t think I’ll bother with it now though.
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Haha fab review, and yes it’s on the miss list 🙂
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Seriously cracking up at “Because nothing overcomes a cruel dictator like True Love between nitwits.”
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Ah, so you’re familiar with that expression too, eh?
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As always. You have helped decide for me… I’ll save my He
And earn money for one of the others already on my list. Thanks Jay
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Omg.. wth…. thanks for the review Jay..I have no idea what the rubbish is above
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Ha! You’re too cute.
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Even I saw this a couple of weeks back. I had read about Colonia Dignidad so the premise of the movie was really interesting buy they ruined it. And I don’t think Emma Watson can act, she has one expression on her face through like Kirsten Stewart.
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Haha, well done!!
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This is sad that Emma’s adviser/agent doesn’t know an “Erin Brockovich” type of movie over a bad one. She needs to talk to her aunt!
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Y’know, even though this sounds fairly rotten, I kinda want to see it!
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Netflix, baby!
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Yas! Go, Netflix!
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Deep sigh. I hate it when the characters are just stupid for plot reasons. Usually I watch these sorts of things and think of ways that it would all make more sense. Which leads to story ideas. So, I like these kinds of movies when I’m looking for a novel idea (which I’m not at the moment).
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Can’t help it….I’m smirking.
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Shame about this. Daniel Brühl is a great actor though, he just needs to pick some better scripts.
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Sounds like two dumbasses.
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Aw, a love story between nitwits… All the same, I think I’ll pass.
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This movie sounds like a bit of a wasted opportunity.
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I think Emma has some good acting chops in her, she’s not making the best choices yet though … It took Kristen Stweart a while to grow into her talent. I hope the same goes for Emma.
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Yeah, good conclusion I agree. My biggest thing was the lack of passion from Hermione … Um, you know who I mean. She’s a little flat on passion.
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She’s a little flat, period, I think.
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