The Settlers (2023 film)

2023 western film

The Settlers

Theatrical release poster

Spanish| Los colonos
Directed by| Felipe Gálvez Haberle
Written by|

* Felipe Gálvez Haberle
* Antonia Girardi
* Mariano Llinás  (collaboration)

Produced by| Stefano Centini
Santiago Galleli
Thierry Lenouvel
Emily Morgan
Giancarlo Nasi
Matias Roveda
Starring|

* Camilo Arancibia
* Mark Stanley
* Benjamin Westfall
* Alfredo Castro
* Marcelo Alonso
* Sam Spruell
* Mishell Guaña
* Adriana Stuven

Cinematography| Simone D'Arcangelo
Edited by| Matthieu Taponier
Music by| Harry Allouche

Production
companies

* Quijote Films
* Rei Cine
* Quiddity Films
* Volos Films
* Cinema Inutile
* Cine Sud Promotion
* Snowglobe
Film I Väst
* Finite Films
* Sutor Kolonko[1]

Distributed by|

* Dulac Distribution (France)
* MUBI (North America, Latin America, United Kingdom, Turkey, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Benelux and India)[2]

Release date

* 22 May 2023 (2023-05-22) (Cannes)

Running time

| 97 minutes
Countries|

* Chile
* Argentina
* United Kingdom
* Taiwan
* Germany
* Sweden
* France
* Denmark

Languages|

* Spanish
* English

Box office| $113,466[3][4]

The Settlers (Spanish: Los colonos) is a 2023 revisionist Western drama film directed by Felipe Gálvez Haberle (in his directorial debut),[5] who co-wrote the script with Antonia Girardi in collaboration with Mariano Llinás.[6][7] The film stars Mark Stanley, Camilo Arancibia, Benjamin Westfall, Alfredo Castro, Mishell Guaña, Sam Spruell, Marcelo Alonso, and Adriana Stuven.[8] It is a co-production between Chile, Argentina, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, France, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany.[9]

The Settlers had its world premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2023. It competed for Un Certain Regard and Caméra d'Or and alongside those was honored with the FIPRESCI Prize, becoming the first Chilean production to win that award.[10] It was selected as the Chilean entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.[11]

## Synopsis

[edit]

In 1893, Segundo, a Chilean mestizo, Alexander MacLennan, a Scottish veteran, and Bill, an American mercenary, embark on an expedition on horseback to delimit and reclaim the lands that the State has granted to José Menéndez. What appears to be an administrative expedition turns into a violent hunt for Onas, the natives of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago.[12][13] The Selknam genocide lies at the core of the film.

Thanks to his excellent shooting skills, Segundo is initially chosen as the sole man to accompany MacLennan on his task. However, on the day they're set to depart on their journey, José Menéndez informs MacLennan that a man of his own choosing, a mercenary called Bill, will be joining them.

MacLennan sports a distinctive red jacket and is believed to have spent time serving as a lieutenant in the British army. Once they are alone together, Bill shares his doubts about Segundo's reliability with MacLennan and questions why, as a lieutenant, he doesn't have more men following him, to which MacLennan counters that Segundo is disciplined and one disciplined man is better than ten undisciplined ones.

After several days of travel without seeing anyone else, the trio find a group of soldiers on the Argentine border accompanying a scientist charged with charting the border of Argentina. The trio engage with the soldiers in various competitions, including shooting, arm wrestling and boxing. During the evening, the scientist muses on the dangers of letting a military grow bored and shows a somewhat perverse interest in Native Americans. MacLennan questions if the scientist knows the location of more natives.

After leaving the soldiers and scientist at their camp, the trio continues until they come across a group of Native Americans. MacLennan and Bill work together to slaughter most of the people there, while Segundo is unable to bring himself to kill any of them, though he does consider shooting Bill, ultimately deciding not to. After the slaughter, MacLennan and Bill take turns raping a young female survivor. When Segundo refuses to join them in doing this, MacLennan threatens to kill him if he doesn't. As the victim is lying out of sight of the others, Segundo feigns acquiescence with MacLennan's request, but instead kills the young woman when he reaches her, presumably to spare her more pain.

The trio next come upon a group of English soldiers, the leader of which reveals during a shared dinner that MacLennan is not a lieutenant, but only a private masquerading as one. Bill shows surprise that a higher ranking officer would be willing to share a meal with a lowly private, at which point the English officer shoots Bill dead in disgust. The officer offers MacLennan a Native American woman as a replacement for Bill, which MacLennan accepts. The officer then rapes MacLennan. Segundo, MacLennan and the woman all depart together the next morning.

Seven years later, José Menéndez is living in a beautiful Chilean mansion in Punta Arenas and is accompanied by his daughter and a clergyman when they receive a visit from a man named Marcial Vicuña, sent from the capital to assess what can be done for the people of Chile in celebration of its centennial. Menéndez claims that many men have visited this area before and only focused on the negatives without really helping. Vicuña asks if the negatives he refers to include the deeds of men like Alexander MacLennan, nicknamed The Red Pig. Menéndez reveals that MacLennan is now dead, but did work for him for many years and Vicuña recounts a story he'd read which claimed MacLennan and his men poisoned a beached whale, resulting in the deaths of a hundred Native Americans. Menéndez defends his former employee, referring to him as Lieutenant MacLennan instead, and his daughter and the clergyman also defend the actions taken against the natives.

When an agreement cannot be reached between the four people, Menéndez takes Vicuña upstairs to a study so the two of them can "talk seriously". Vicuña explains that the government in Santiago feel all social groups must live and work together in order to achieve true peace, to which Menéndez claims they already live in peace in this part of Chile. Vicuña claims an agreement has been reached with the Mapuche and now wishes to speak to the Onas in order to make one with them. However, he then states that his main goal is to bury some of the more violent aspects of how Menéndez came to own so much land.

Marcial Vicuña next travels to Chiloé Island to try and find Segundo, where he is greeted by a Native American woman named Rosa, Segundo's wife. She tells Vicuña, whose authority she doesn't respect, that Segundo is out at sea and she's unsure when he will be back. However, this statement is interrupted by Segundo exiting their home, at which point Vicuña pressures Rosa to let him speak to Segundo.

Once inside their house, Vicuña explains to Segundo that he wishes to report details of the violent crimes Menéndez had him commit. He asks how Segundo and Rosa met and Segundo explains that Menéndez appointed MacLennan "Peace Judge" and Rosa was intended to help translate discussions between MacLennan and the natives. However, Segundo then goes on to tell of a time when MacLennan held a great beachside banquet for over three hundred Native Americans. Once the attendees were all drunk, MacLennan, Segundo and others took up rifles and started killing all of the natives, driving them into the sea and strangling them where necessary.

Vicuña then sets the couple up at a table outside their house with a tea set in front of them. He has his assistant, Laura, fill their cups and then instructs them to each drink the tea while he films them. Segundo does so almost immediately, but Rosa does not, despite Vicuña's demands and insistence that she needs to do this if she wants to be "part of this nation".

## Cast

[edit]

* Camilo Arancibia as Segundo
* Benjamin Westfall as Bill
* Mark Stanley as Alexander MacLennan
* Alfredo Castro as José Menéndez
* Mishell Guaña as Kiepja
* Sam Spruell as Colonel Martin
* Marcelo Alonso as Vicuña
* Adriana Stuven as Josefina Menéndez
* Mariano Llinás as Francisco Moreno
* Agustín Rittano as Captain Ambrosio
* Emily Orueta as Granddaughter
* Luis Machín as Monseñor

## Release

[edit]

### Festival

[edit]

It had its world premiere on 22 May 2023, at the 76th Cannes Film Festival.[14] then it was screened on 12 August 2023, in the Fiction Competition section of the 27th Lima Film Festival[15] and soon on 7 September 2023, in the Centerpiece section at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival.[16][17]

### Distribution

[edit]

MUBI announced that they have acquired distribution rights for multiple territories, including North America, Latin America, the UK, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Turkey, India, and the Benelux. They plan to release the film theatrically in the UK and the US.[18]

## Reception

[edit]

### Critical reception

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 55 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10.[19] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 82 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[20]

### Accolades

[edit]

Award  | Date  | Category  | Recipient  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

Cannes Film Festival | 21 May 2023 | Caméra d'Or | Felipe Gálvez Haberle | Nominated  | [21]
Un Certain Regard | Nominated  | [22]
FIPRESCI Prize | Won  | [23]
Munich International Film Festival | 1 July 2023  | CineVision Award for Best Film by an Emerging Director  | The Settlers | Nominated  | [24]
Lima Film Festival | 18 August 2023 | Best Picture  | Nominated  | [25][26]
Best Screenplay  | Felipe Gálvez & Antonia Girardi  | Won
Peruvian Association of Film Press - Best Film  | The Settlers | Won
San Sebastián International Film Festival | 30 September 2023 | Horizons Award  | Nominated  | [27]
Festival du Nouveau Cinéma de Montreal | 15 October 2023 | Louve d'Or  | Won  | [28]
Tokyo International Film Festival | 1 November 2023 | Tokyo Grand Prix  | Nominated  | [29]
Stockholm International Film Festival | 17 November 2023 | Best Picture  | Won  | [30]
IndieWire Critics Poll | 11 December 2023  | Best First Feature  | 5th Place  | [31]
Forqué Awards | 16 December 2023 | Best Latin-American Film | Nominated |

[32]

International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights | 18 March 2024  | Fiction Grand Award  | Won  | [33]
Platino Awards | 20 April 2024 | Best Ibero-American Debut Film | The Settlers | Nominated |

[34]

Best Art Direction | Sebastián Orgambide | Nominated
Artios Awards | 12 February 2025 | Outstanding Achievement in Casting – International Film  | Jessie Frost  | Nominated  | [35]

## See also

[edit]

* List of submissions to the 96th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
* List of Chilean submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Entrevista exclusiva: Felipe Gálvez estrena Los colonos en Cannes 2023". Cinema Chile (in European Spanish). 2023-05-22. Archived from the original on 2023-07-18. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
2. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (May 24, 2023). "MUBI Acquires Cannes Un Certain Regard Title 'The Settlers' for North America, U.K." Variety. Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
3. ^ "The Settlers". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
4. ^ "The Settlers". The Numbers. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
5. ^ "'Los Colonos': ópera prima del chileno Felipe Gálvez se sitúa en las películas más esperadas de Cannes". BioBioChile - La Red de Prensa Más Grande de Chile (in Spanish). 2023-05-16. Archived from the original on 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
6. ^ "Los Colonos, de Felipe Gálvez, concursa en Cannes 2023 | EL PERFIL" (in Spanish). 2023-05-25. Archived from the original on 2023-07-18. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
7. ^ Grobar, Matt (23 August 2023). "Oscars: Chile Submits Cannes Prize Winner 'The Settlers' For Best International Feature". Deadline. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
8. ^ ""Los Colonos": película chilena sobre el genocidio Selkʼnam será parte de la selección oficial del Festival de Cannes". El Mostrador (in Spanish). 2023-04-13. Archived from the original on 2023-07-18. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
9. ^ "Chile llega con una ópera prima, una coproducción y un coprotagónico al Festival de Cannes". infobae (in European Spanish). 14 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
10. ^ ""Los Colonos" se convierte en la primera película chilena en ganar el premio FIPRESCI en Cannes". Romántica (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2023-07-18. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
11. ^ Valdivia, Gonzalo (2023-08-23). "Los Colonos representará a Chile en los Oscar y La Memoria Infinita irá por los Goya". La Tercera. Archived from the original on 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
12. ^ Bałaga, Marta (2023-05-23). "Felipe Galvez Readies to Ruffle Some Feathers with 'The Settlers,' a Western about Chile's Bloody Colonial Past: 'I Love to Be Controversial'". Variety. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
13. ^ "Felipe Gálvez on his Tierra del Fuego western The Settlers: "It's like shooting in hell"". BFI. Archived from the original on 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
14. ^ "El chileno Felipe Gálvez estrena en Cannes "Los colonos"". diariolasamericas.com (in Spanish). 23 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
15. ^ "Los colonos" [The Settlers]. 27 PUCP Lima Film Festival (in Spanish). Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
16. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (2023-08-10). "TIFF 2023 Centerpiece Program Showcases Aki Kaurismäki, Wim Wenders, Agnieszka Holland, and More". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 2023-08-21. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
17. ^ "The Settlers". TIFF. Archived from the original on 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
18. ^ Ntim, Zac (May 24, 2023). "Mubi Acquires Chilean Cannes Title 'The Settlers' For Multiple Territories Including North America & UK". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 31, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
19. ^ "The Settlers - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Archived from the original on 2024-02-21. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
20. ^ The Settlers, archived from the original on 2023-07-18, retrieved 2023-07-18
21. ^ Debruge, Peter (2023-05-27). "Cannes Awards: 'Anatomy of a Fall' Takes Palme d'Or, 'The Zone of Interest' and 'The Pot au Feu' Among Winners". Variety. Archived from the original on 2023-05-28. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
22. ^ "Un Certain Regard Winners List 2023". Festival de Cannes. 2023-05-26. Archived from the original on 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
23. ^ Franklin, Anna. "FNE at Cannes 2023: Full List of Prize Winners - FilmNewEurope.com". www.filmneweurope.com. Archived from the original on 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
24. ^ Blaney, Martin. "Filmfest München unveils 2023 competition titles". Screen. Archived from the original on 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
25. ^ "27 Festival de Cine de Lima". Retrieved 2023-08-07.
26. ^ "¡ESTOS SON LOS GANADORES DEL 27 FESTIVAL DE CINE DE LIMA PUCP!". Archived from the original on 2023-08-19. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
27. ^ "Película chilena "Los Colonos" competirá en sección Horizontes Latinos de San Sebastián". Emol (in Spanish). 2023-08-03. Archived from the original on 2023-08-07. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
28. ^ Charles-Henri Ramond, "(FNC 2023) Chloé Leriche et Ariane Louis-Seize récompensées" Archived 2024-05-20 at the Wayback Machine. Films du Québec, October 16, 2023.
29. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (27 September 2023). "Tokyo Film Festival Aims to Boost Global Relevance With Bumper 2023 Edition". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
30. ^ "Stockholm's Bronze Horse goes to Felipe Gálvez Haberle's The Settlers". Cineuropa. 2023-11-20. Archived from the original on 2024-01-12. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
31. ^ Blauvelt, Christian (December 11, 2023). "2023 Critics Poll: The Best Films and Performances, According to 158 Critics from Around the World". IndieWire. Archived from the original on December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
32. ^ "Palmarés completo de los Premios Forqué 2023: '20.000 especies de abejas' y 'La Mesías' lideran la apertura de la temporada". Cinemanía. 17 December 2023. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2024 – via 20minutos.es.
33. ^ Economou, Vassilic (2024-03-18). "The 22nd FIFDH announces its award winners". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 2024-04-19. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
34. ^ "Premios Platino 2024 | Palmarés completo: el triunfo de 'La sociedad de la nieve' y todos los ganadores de la noche". Cinemanía. 21 April 2024. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024 – via 20minutos.es.
35. ^ Rice, Lynette (December 17, 2024). "'Wicked' & 'Gladiator II' Among Film Nominees For 40th Annual Artios Awards; Casting Nods Also Go To 'Saturday Night' & 'Moana 2". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 17, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* The Settlers at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Chilean submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

* The Moon in the Mirror (1990)
* The Frontier (1991)
* Johnny 100 Pesos (1993)
* Amnesia (1994)
* Coronation (2000)
* A Cab for Three (2001)
* Ogu and Mampato in Rapa Nui (2002)
* Los Debutantes (2003)
* Machuca (2004)
* Play (2005)
* In Bed (2006)
* Padre Nuestro (2007)
* Tony Manero (2008)
* Dawson Isla 10 (2009)
* The Life of Fish (2010)
* Violeta Went to Heaven (2011)
* No (2012)
* Gloria (2013)
* To Kill a Man (2014)
* The Club (2015)
* Neruda (2016)
* A Fantastic Woman (2017)
* And Suddenly the Dawn (2018)
* Spider (2019)
* The Mole Agent (2020)
* White on White (2021)
* Blanquita (2022)
* The Settlers (2023)
* In Her Place (2024)

*[Ref.]: Reference(s)
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template