Chilean drama The Settlers begins with a horrific farming accident that suggests that when it comes to nation-building, health and safety may not be a priority. The same goes for basic humanity. Felipe Gálvez's chronicle of the genocide of the Selk'nam people in Patagonia begins in 1901 on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago and includes real-life historical figures, including sheep baron José Menéndez (Alfredo Castro), the "King of the White gold". "
Menendez sends his partner, former Scottish soldier Alexander McLennan (Mark Stanley), to find a way to the Atlantic Ocean. McLennan sets out with a silent mixed-race guide, Segundo (Camillo Arancibia), through whose eyes we experience the journey, and a Texan, Bill (Benjamin Westphal), who rivals McLennan in his brutality. Their progress is marked by mass murder, beheadings and rapes, described in a passionate but gruesome manner. The members then enjoy the vague hospitality of another British soldier, played by Sam Spruell, who currently terrified us in season five of Fargo and is no less terrifying here.
Compellingly filmed by Simone d'Arcangelo in a dark, picturesque area, " The Settlers" recalls the distant travel stories of Yawi and Godland , which take place respectively in Patagonia and Iceland, but are very similar, with echoes of "Apocalypse Today" . Being a semi-western, The Settlers for most of its running time feels like the closest film to an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's nightmarish novel , Blood Meridian .
When it reaches a calmer stage, the film is presented in a more violent and anticlimactic way, as an analysis of Chile's history of violence. But at its best, The Settlers is genuinely haunting, thanks in large part to supporting performances by British TV regulars Stanley Arancibia and Alfredo Castro ( Tony Manero , Post Mortem ) , whose brooding countenance and expressiveness make it in a Latin American film. . a most reliable and sinister presence.
★★★☆☆
In UK cinemas from February 9.
