As an avid fan of Emma Watson, I had high expectations for her 2015 film "Colonia" or "The Colony". "Colonia" stars Watson alongside actor Daniel Bruhl. Bruhl is a German actor who has also been in movies like "Inglorious Bastards" and "The Bourne Ultimatum".
The movie takes place in Chile during the time Pinochet takes power. I really enjoyed this setting because I did not know much about Chile in the 1970's when this was all going on and it was interesting to see the point of view from political activists that opposed Pinochet, Bruhl's and Watson's characters, Daniel and Lena.
The film follows this couple as Daniel is abducted by Pinochet's police and taken to be tortured. Lena follows them and finds he was taken to Colonia Dignidad, a real place that was active in this time period.
Colonia Dignidad was a religious German cult that was run by former-Nazi Paul Schäfer in rural Chile. Schäfer worked with Pinochet during this time, allowing him to house weapons at the camp and torture and imprison political opponents. To the outside world though, this camp just looked to be a farm that celebrated God and the German culture.
In the movie, Lena joins the cult to find Daniel and soon discovers all the disgusting secrets of this camp. The couple hopes to escape and get out the horrors of the colony, but you will have to watch the movie to see what happens in the end.
Overall, I loved the story line of this film because it followed true events. It was thought-provoking and left you on the edge of your seat wanting to know what would happen next. I watch many suspense movies, but this one was not only suspenseful but also happy, sad and showed true historical events that Americans, I believe, should be aware of.
I would also suggest reading up on the real Colonia Dignidad and the Pinochet reign after watching the movie. It was a dark time in world history that is not really touched on in many history classes.
"Colonia" is now streaming on Netflix. Check out the trailer here.
