I watched this right after finishing the Netflix documentary series "A Sinister Sect: Colonia Dignidad", and the "Songs of Repression" was the perfect followup. Its focus is how the current inhabitants of the former Colonia Dignidad - now rebranded "Villa Baviera" - are dealing with, or often not dealing with, the legacy of the terrible cult they grew up in.
The film comes across as a bit boring at first, showing the current inhabitants living in seemingly idyllic surroundings and going about their day-to-day lives. I thought 88 minutes of this would be a slog, but the film picks up when you give it time, gradually revealing the underlying tensions in the community, and the deep scars left on many of the members, and also the deep denial expressed by some of the other members. Several scenes where the clear post-traumatic stress or intense anger well up from some of these folks carry a real punch.
The community has adopted an official stance of "forgiving and forgetting" the abuse suffered by Schäfer and his minions, often at the hands of still-living members. But it's also shown how "forgiving and forgetting" can simply be a form of denial when it is not earned, and that "reconcilliation" must be preceded by "truth".
Being that this is a German expatriate community, all of whom still speak in German even after many years in Chile, the parallels with an earlier generation of Germans dealing with their own history of oppression and/or collaboration is obvious. Especially a scene where an old German lady defends the legacy and character of Pinochet, saying that sometimes terrible things happen in a war but they are "necessary".
An interesting editorial decision is to not discuss until halfway into the film the use of Colonia Dignidad as a torture center and execution ground for the Pinochet regime. This introduces an interesting dynamic in which many Chileans, especially human rights groups, see Villa Baviera as an ongoing symbol of opression from the Pinochet era, and one introduced to their country by a creepy group of outsiders who are still reluectant to own up to the atrocities that their community was responsible for. At the same time, the community members, to varying degrees, see themselves as vicitms of Schäfer too. It's a tension that's explored but never really resolved in the film, on top of the already-deep tensions within the community.
To the best of my knowledge, this film is not on the usual streaming networks (Netflix, HBO, Amazon, etc), but it is available for streaming rent or purchase over Vimeo. Highly recommended!
The film comes across as a bit boring at first, showing the current inhabitants living in seemingly idyllic surroundings and going about their day-to-day lives. I thought 88 minutes of this would be a slog, but the film picks up when you give it time, gradually revealing the underlying tensions in the community, and the deep scars left on many of the members, and also the deep denial expressed by some of the other members. Several scenes where the clear post-traumatic stress or intense anger well up from some of these folks carry a real punch.
The community has adopted an official stance of "forgiving and forgetting" the abuse suffered by Schäfer and his minions, often at the hands of still-living members. But it's also shown how "forgiving and forgetting" can simply be a form of denial when it is not earned, and that "reconcilliation" must be preceded by "truth".
Being that this is a German expatriate community, all of whom still speak in German even after many years in Chile, the parallels with an earlier generation of Germans dealing with their own history of oppression and/or collaboration is obvious. Especially a scene where an old German lady defends the legacy and character of Pinochet, saying that sometimes terrible things happen in a war but they are "necessary".
An interesting editorial decision is to not discuss until halfway into the film the use of Colonia Dignidad as a torture center and execution ground for the Pinochet regime. This introduces an interesting dynamic in which many Chileans, especially human rights groups, see Villa Baviera as an ongoing symbol of opression from the Pinochet era, and one introduced to their country by a creepy group of outsiders who are still reluectant to own up to the atrocities that their community was responsible for. At the same time, the community members, to varying degrees, see themselves as vicitms of Schäfer too. It's a tension that's explored but never really resolved in the film, on top of the already-deep tensions within the community.
To the best of my knowledge, this film is not on the usual streaming networks (Netflix, HBO, Amazon, etc), but it is available for streaming rent or purchase over Vimeo. Highly recommended!
