Even the Rain

The politics of the past and present begin to merge during the making of a motion picture in this drama from director Iciar Bollain. Spanish movie director Sebastian (Gael Garcia Bernal) and his producer Costa (Luis Tosar) have arrived in Bolivia to shoot a picture about Columbus's exploration and exploitation of the New World. While Sebastian has come to Bolivia for realistic scenery, Costa has chosen the location for the cheap and abundant supply of labor. An open casting call for extras attracts far more people than the picture needs, but when Costas tries to send them away, one would-be actor, Daniel (Juan Carlos Aduviri), makes a strong and eloquent case for fair treatment of the locals, and Sebastian casts him as Hatuey, the chief of a native tribe who fought the invading Spaniards. As Sebastian stages scenes of revolt against would-be colonists, a real battle is brewing in Colombia -- the government has privatized the national water works, and the price of water has jumped by three hundred percent, leading to protests and riots in the streets of Cochabamba. Daniel is one of the activists protesting price gouging for something as essential as water; will Sebastian and his colleagues join him in speaking out against this injustice? TAMBIEN LA ILUVIA (aka EVEN THE RAIN) was an official selection at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.