''My Best Enemy'' () is a 2005 Chilean-Argentine-Spanish

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film directed by Alex Bowen. It stars

Nicolás Saavedra Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...

, Erto Pantoja and Felipe Braun and won the Pudú de Plata for the best Chilean movie at the

Valdivia International Film Festival The Valdivia International Film Festival ( Spanish: Festival Internacional de Cine de Valdivia (FICV o FICVALDIVIA)) is an international film exhibition and competition, held annually in the city of Valdivia, Los Rios region, Chile. The festival ...

Plot

Rodrigo Rojas (Nicolás Saavedra) is a 19-year-old who lives in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

and is currently serving in the military. He is sent as a conscript to

Punta Arenas Punta Arenas (, historically known as Sandy Point in English) is the capital List of cities in Chile, city of Chile's southernmost Regions of Chile, region, Magallanes Region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. Although officially renamed as ...

to face the imminent war for control of the Picton, Nueva, and Lennox Islands. Sergeant Osvaldo Ferrer (Erto Pantoja) orders him to maintain control of the border in the

Patagonian Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...

plains. However, in the midst of the desolate landscapes, Rojas and his group (three other conscripts and a professional soldier) get lost and encounter an Argentinean group. Both groups are lost and do not know which side of the border they are on, which could ultimately trigger the invasion of one of the countries. In this hostile environment, one of the Chilean soldiers receives a cut and begins to get infected, so Rojas must ask Argentinean 1st Sergeant Enrique Ocampo (Miguel Dedovich) for help to save his comrade. This eases the tension as both sides realize that a fight between them, for the moment, is unnecessary. The movie features different humorous situations, such as the temporary establishment of a border between the two countries or the realization of a soccer match. However, the conflict is imminent, and Ocampo is warned that on the night of December 22, the Argentinean invasion will take place. He alerts Ferrer to withdraw with his men, but Ferrer refuses. On that tense night, both sides are willing to start a fratricidal war. The Chileans are aware that they will be at a disadvantage and ask Ocampo to deliver letters to their families in Chile after the war. However, a radio warning informs Ocampo about the mediation of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

and the order to withdraw troops. Ocampo leaves the trench and approaches the Chileans in a spirit of peace, but the soldier Orozco (Víctor Montero), the only professional soldier who considered friendship with the Argentines as a betrayal to the homeland, decides to attack, starting the crossfire. Ocampo is wounded between both trenches, while conscript José Almonacid (Andrés Olea), from

Puqueldón Puqueldón is a Chilean Communes of Chile, commune in Chiloé Archipelago which is part of Chiloé Province and Los Lagos Region. The commune is located on Lemuy Island and consists of eight villages the biggest of which is Puqueldón. Puqueldón ...

, falls dead in the gunfire. Rojas returns to Santiago determined to fulfill his love for Gloria (

Fernanda Urrejola Fernanda Loreto Urrejola Arroyo (born September 24, 1981) is a Chilean television, theatre and film actress. The daughter of Francisco Urrejola and Francisca Arroyo, she has three sisters, Alejandra, Francisca and Isidora. She studied at the K ...

), his neighbor. However, she rejects him, just as society does, quickly forgetting the tense situation and the people who risked their lives to defend their country, both in Chile and Argentina.

References

External links

*
The New York times
plot *
La Nacion newspaper
2005 films 2005 comedy-drama films Anti-war films 2000s Spanish-language films Chilean comedy-drama films Argentine comedy-drama films Spanish comedy-drama films 2000s political films 2000s war comedy-drama films {{2000s-comedy-drama-film-stub 2000s Spanish films 2000s Argentine films 2000s Chilean films

Plot

See also

References

External links