In the 70's, right in the boundaries between Chile and Argentina, war is about to erupt. A grudge between these two countries for a couple of islands (that today belong to Chile) is growing up, and a fight between the countries seems unavoidable. A group of soldiers is sent to the pampas, in the limits of the frontier, to watch for any hostile activities.
It is then when we're introduced to the members of that group. Each one has his own beliefs, and soon we learn that almost none of them has seen combat in their entire life - they're just conscripts. Innocence all over their faces, suddenly they got stuck in the middle of nowhere facing the enemy. That's when the movie really starts.
Although character development is somewhat scarce in some of the cast, Nicolás Saavedra,Felipe Braun and Miguel Dedovich gave an outstanding performance, giving you the feel of common-like persons in a situation where one has to choose between loyalty to your country or your beliefs. It's not a tale of war, but a story representing the feelings of those people thrown in a conflict they barely are aware of. Despite the criticism made to warfare, Alex Bowen, the director, was able to find the cooperation of the Army Forces in Chile, a major achievement considering the history of that nation. Shown at the Montreal Festival in September 25th, Bowen showed surprise at the reaction of the public at some scenes, pointing that the humor scenes where not mean to be that funny, he thought it will be too obscure for the audience to catch them.
Either way, the film still has some flaws. Some of the characters remain too simplistic to even being able to keep in touch with them. Although there's no "happy ending" entirely, people used to war movies like "Saving Private Ryan", "Platoon" and else will find this one a little bloodless and with so little action. Pherhaps some will miss the true intent of showing a more human story, loosely based on real facts, and a subtle criticism to what war is, after all.
"Mi Mejor Enemigo" stands as a enjoyable-afternoon-movie for those who want to watch an intelligent, worth-watching film.
