Sayen (2023)

Sayen (2023). 1h 34m

“As u0026quot;Sayenu0026quot; (2023 release from Chile; 95 min) opens, a Mapuche woman is chased in the forest by 4 people with guns. All of the sudden she reaches a deep ravine with a big river at the bottom. Rather than be caught. The soman jumps… We then go to u0026quot;Three Days Earlieru0026quot; as the woman, who is named Sayen, arrives back after years away at her original village, in a remote part of southern Chile…u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCouple of comments: this is not your standard foreign movie. u0026quot;Sayenu0026quot; is specifically made around the aboriginal Mapuche people of southern Chile. Without giving much away, the film centers around how the Mapuche peopleu0026#39;s life style and more is threatened by an aggressive out of towner who envisions the area as perfect for eco-tourism. Of course! One of the best aspects of the movie is that we get a glimpse of what that part of the world actually looks like. The movieu0026#39;s photography is eye candy from start to finish, almost like a National Geographic documentary. That is a problem for the film, as there is quite a bit of awkward acting, and the underlying script is weak and predicable.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Sayenu0026quot; started streaming on Amazon Prime and I stumbled upon it when I was scrolling through the u0026quot;recently addedu0026quot; section. I had never heard of this movie, and took a chance on it. Even though itu0026#39;s not the best of films, Iu0026#39;m nevertheless glad that I checked it out. Of course donu0026#39;t take my word for it, so if you are in the mood for a foreign film that is definitely not standard fare, Iu0026#39;d readily suggest you check it out and draw your own conclusion.”