El entusiasmo

Chile 1980 : Guillermo, Fernando and Isabel meet and become friends, adhering to the “Independent Republic”, an utopian concept conceived by Guillermo in reaction to the unrestrained capitalism introduced by the military junta. Chile 1990 : the dictatorship is dead. Fernando and Isabel have had a child, Miguel. The three of them cross the desert to Arica, a town on the Peruvian border, where they open a “tourist adventure” agency. There, they run into their old friend Guillermo ; now bitter and disillusioned, he puts together phony reportages to sell to European television networks. Fernando’s business thrives : fired by his enthusiasm, he associates with a powerful business group, taking Guillermo and Isabel with him. Inevitably, their relations founder, and nothing remains of the unifying “Independent Republic” other than the drawing by young Miguel, which he treasures in the sanctuary of his bedroom.