Product Description

Ramiro Orellana is a hapless math teacher who becomes the victim of a political witch hunt when he signs a petition to support his fellow colleague. Ramiro is exiled, transported to a remote island where a small village of outcasts. The village has a history of tidal waves along with an overall washed up feeling. Separated from his life and family, Ramiro must make due with the eccentric characters in town. The priest provides him room and board. The local who is determined to find the "hole in the sea" gives him work on his ocean explorations. The biggest impression comes from Maite, a lonely woman who still spends her time playing house at the deserted remnants of her childhood home. Ultimately, a relationship stirs. Maite’s father wants Ramiro to take her from this desolate island. But as an exile, and Maite’s nostalgic tendencies, he is up against some severe challenges. Directed by Ricardo P. Larrain. Originally released in 1991. Spanish with English subtitles. 120 minutes.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86934 in DVD
• Brand: Unknown
• Released on: 2005-04-26
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, DVD, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 120 minutes

Alternative Film Guide, Altfg.com
Best film of 1991

About the Actor
Director's bio:
Entusiasmo, El (1998) aka Enthousiasme, L', aka Enthusiasm
Pasos de baile (1997)
Frontera, La (1991) aka The Frontier, aka The Exile

Customer Reviews

La Frontera/The Exile
In the time of Pinochet, a teacher is exiled to an island off the coast of Chile. There he finds a conscientious but narrow-minded priest and an old Spanish republican still preoccupied with the Spanish civil war. The Spaniard has lost members of his family in a tsunami whose devastating effects are still to be seen on the island. The exile, lodged in the draughty church and subjected to the capricious orders of his brutish but comic guardians, is attracted to the Spaniard's daughter and becomes the working partner of a Chilean diver intent on discovering the causes of tsunamis. A metaphorical link between the forces of nature and those of political repression is implied in the film, which suggests interesting questions about rational and principled resistance to apparently irresistible forces.
I first saw this film on television: sadly, the quality of the DVD is a disappointment. The action often takes place outdoors in the rain at dusk or indoors in dimly-lit rooms. In the DVD the images have been made darker still and sometimes faces and figures have been rendered indistinct. But for the sake of a beautiful and intelligent film, it's still worth getting.