Jackal of Nahueltoro

Miguel Littín's 1969 Chilean film takes off from the true story of an illiterate peasant who killed a woman and her five children in 1960. The film shows the murder but is really interested in what follows: in prison the man learns to read and write, acquires a trade, and at exactly that point is executed. The question it sets is plain: if the state educates a person only in prison, what does killing him afterwards correct. Littín joins documentary to fiction, using the interview form, real locations and a newsreel aesthetic. The film is taken as the founding work of Chile's new cinema and was voted the country's best film by film professionals. It is heavy to watch. Who it's for: viewers interested in Latin American political cinema and debates about the death penalty. Who it's not for: anyone avoiding content involving the murder of children, or wanting the clarity of fiction.