Before watching A Yard of Jackals (Patio de chacales), it might be a help to have a quick historical familiarization as to what was happening in the country of Chile in the ’70s. On September 11, 1973, the military led by General Augusto Pinochet overthrew the government of socialist president Salvador Allende. Pinochet stayed in power until 1990. Allende killed himself during the military coup. Pinochet and the military junta ruled the country harshly. They rounded up thousands of citizens and executed them. Pinochet was more than eager to make other troublemakers disappear in his detention and torture camps. Keep this in mind as you watch the events in A Yard of Jackals that take place in the summer of 1975.
Raúl (Néstor Cantillana, HBO’s Prófugos) thinks he’s doing fine in Pinochet’s Chile. Sure there’s nightly curfew, but he doesn’t need to go anywhere after dark since he’s taking care of his ailing mother in what seems like a quiet neighborhood. He flirts with the charming Laura (Blanca Lewin, New Brooklyn) who works a nearby shop. He also has a job with the military making architect models. This work connection makes him feel slightly protected. He stays clueless about what’s going to be done in these buildings when they go full size. He’s just enjoying his quiet life. That illusion gets shattered when new neighbors move in next door. They’re not a happy couple. They’re a group of men in cheap suits who spend their days lurking around the streets. This includes one guy (Juan Cano) who has a nasty scar that makes eye contact with Raul. At night, the new neighbors crank up the music and there are sounds that don’t sound like it’s one of those parties. How long can Raul endure what’s happening to his neighborhood. Is he going to get invited to a “mixer” from his neighbors?
First time director Diego Figueroa really gets into the claustrophobic anxieties that take place when an area turns into a police/military state. It’s not paranoia since there really is someone watching Raul, listening to his phone calls and perhaps eager to drag him into a torture chamber. While it’s easy to think that this is a film that is only about Chile in the ’70s, A Yard of Jackals is also about us now. Think of right now how many major corporations and government agencies are eyeballing you. Your neighbor across the street can track you coming and going with RING doorbell. Do you think any of the apps on your phone are eavesdropping on your life? How many digital companies know that you’re looking at this review? Only difference between you and Raul is that your neighbors are merely being annoying by blasting Nickelback right now. You’re the only one screaming in pain. A Yard of Jackals is frightening because the sadistic and invasive monsters are always among us. They didn’t “vanish” with Pinochet.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The you get a sense of the neighborhood’s textures. The Audio is 5.1 DTS-HD MA in Spanish. There is also a LPCM 2.0 Spanish track. Choose if you want to be spooked by sounds around your room while watching. The movie is subtitled in English.
Picture-In-Picture Video Commentary has director Diego Figueroa and Inti Carrizo who helped edit the film on camera talking. This is in Spanish with English subtitles. They give a bit of cultural context.
Behing the Scenes Featurette (23:33) has the director call this a psychological thriller with moments of horror. He talks about writing the script as part of an online challenge. Using limited locations, 48 hours to write and only taking a week to shoot. He wanted it to be very independent. Nestor Cantillana enjoyed the complexity of his character. There’s a lot of talk about making a film so fast and on a shoestring budget. Also this was Diego Figueroa’s first feature length film.
Original Trailer (2:01) sets this up as spooky film involving neighbors, strange noises and wooden dolls.
Indiepix Unlimited presents A Yard of Jackals. Directed by Diego Figueroa. Screenplay by Diego Figueroa. Starring Néstor Cantillana, Blanca Lewin, María Jesús Marcone, Rodrigo Pérez, Juan Cano, Consuelo Holzapfel, Grimanesa Jiménez & Pablo Schwarz. Running Time: 108 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: J
