Manuela Martelli’s ‘El Deshielo’ selected as Chile’s Oscar entry

The Chilean film ‘El Deshielo’, directed by Manuela Martelli, has been selected to represent Chile at the Academy Awards. Set during the 1990s transition to democracy, the mystery drama follows nine-year-old Inés, played by Maya O’Rourke, who becomes entangled in a disappearance after her friend, a fifteen-year-old German skier named Hanna, vanishes from a remote mountain hotel.

The film explores themes of lost innocence and family secrets within a historical context. Martelli, who previously directed ‘1976’, uses the snowy landscape and the isolation of the hotel to build tension, contrasting the serene environment with the hidden truths that emerge as the investigation unfolds. The story is noted for its atmospheric direction and its ability to reflect broader political tensions through intimate, domestic narratives.