June 8, 2023

This is quite an intense political thriller from Oscar winning Costa-Gavras that sees "Ed Horman" (Jack Lemmon) and his daughter-in-law "Beth" (Sissy Spacek) travel to Chile to try to find his writer son who has become caught up in the coup that has deposed President Allende. It is soon clear that the inherently patriotic Horman couple are not getting the support they would have expected from their consular officials and as the story develops we … read the rest.

This is quite an intense political thriller from Oscar winning Costa-Gavras that sees "Ed Horman" (Jack Lemmon) and his daughter-in-law "Beth" (Sissy Spacek) travel to Chile to try to find his writer son who has become caught up in the coup that has deposed President Allende. It is soon clear that the inherently patriotic Horman couple are not getting the support they would have expected from their consular officials and as the story develops we discover how little they actually knew their son and also how the confidence in their own government can be shaken to the core. Lemmon's frustration is palpable as he becomes more and more desperate. Both he and Spacek were deservedly Oscar nominated for their performances in this gripping drama. I could have done with more of a conclusion, but perhaps it is better as it is...?

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