'The Meltdown', a political thriller about historical memory from Chile

Among the tourists he has to deal with is Hanna, a 14-year-old German skier who mysteriously disappears one night.

Despite the moment in time that is narrated, one can feel the full weight of the historical memory of the dictatorship in this film, which curiously and unconventionally thinks around themes that recall the tragedy of the Desaparecidos.

At the same time, however, it is probably no coincidence that Martelli chose as his other main character a German girl, born in the context of those two Germanies that ceased to exist just a few years ago.

The search for the missing young woman is, however, only ostensibly the narrative heart of this thriller, which, rather than the investigation, is interested in the effects that this disappearance will soon begin to have, as much in Inés as in the other characters on the scene.

Childhood is recounted by Manuela Martelli in an unconventional way, leading us to take the little protagonist's gaze but also, at the same time, to share her own limitations, caused by a perspective that is still immature and unable to fully grasp what is happening around her.

Although the first part is more incisive than the second, the film has a script that remains engaging until the end, thanks also to the good rhythm of an editing that keeps the attention constantly high.

Some passages are a tad didactic, but the symbolism proposed - starting with the snowy setting - stimulates more than one reflection and confirms the director's style as one of the most original in contemporary South American cinema.

Also within Un certain regard was another film that is important to talk about: 'Congo Boy', by 1997-born Congolese director Rafiki Fariala.

Set in Bangui, Central African Republic, the film stars Robert, a 17-year-old boy who dreams of a musical career. However, civil war is tearing the country apart and he finds himself having to take care of his younger siblings when his parents end up in prison.

Fariala's second work (the first, 'We, Students!' had been at the Berlinale in 2022), 'Congo Boy' is a sincere product that shows all the saving power of music and art in general.

There are perhaps no great sequences to be memorised, but the overall design holds up for the entire duration and the significant messages are numerous: from the individual's courage to never give up, despite serious difficulties, to the socio-political investigation of the condition of an entire country, Fariala knows what he is getting at and his work is among the most interesting seen in this first week of the Cannes Film Festival.