Letters from Marusia


Letters from Marusia is a 1975 Mexican film directed by Chilean filmmaker Miguel Littín. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also entered into the 1976 Cannes Film Festival. The film is based on a Patricio Manns novel inspired by the Marusia massacre of 1925.

Plot

The film portrays the harsh reality of life for the working class during Chile's "Nitrate Era", where efforts to form workers' unions were violently suppressed.
Set in a mining town in northern Chile, the Marusia massacre of 1925 unfolds. Government authorities sanction brutal violence against mine workers to maintain control for foreign companies exploiting resources. Despite some workers' resistance, the town is ultimately destroyed, and its residents are exterminated.

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