Old European Imperialism In Even The Rain

Icíar Bollaín’s Even the Rain, produced in 2011, tells the story of a Mexican film crew that is filming a movie about Christopher Columbus’s conquest in Bolivia. While they are in Cochabamba, Bolivia, they also encounter the water war that is taking place due to the fact that there are plans to privatize the water sources. Throughout the movie, the struggles and inner conflicts of each character are developed, and these help to guide the plotline of the movie. Similarly, through the depiction of Columbus’s conquest, international film productions, and the water wars, Even the Rain establishes parallels between old European imperialism and recent waves of corporate exploitation in Bolivia. Old European imperialism appeared in the 15th century to the 18th century. Although imperialism lasted until 1914, proponents of old European imperialism
were motivated by the three g’s: glory, God, and gold. Through Even the Rain’s depiction of Columbus’s conquest, the viewers were able to see how each of the three g’s played into the reasons behind their journey to a foreign place. Columbus was seen making the natives search for gold, Bartolomé de las Casas is seen preaching about God, and there is an underlying tone about how the group will be glorified once they return from their conquest. If the audience does not have an understanding of this background knowledge, the parallels between the old European imperialism and the corporate exploitation in Bolivia would not be as evident. One of the first parallels that Even the Rain establishes is that those in power are striving to produce wealth one way or another.
With Columbus, this was seen by using the natives to search for gold. He and his company were gaining the benefit of finding the gold, but they did not have to expend much, if any of their resources, to have that labor completed. Their benefit to cost ratio would have been much greater than one which in turn shows that their benefits are greater than their costs. Likewise, this situation can also be noted in the relationship between the film crew and the extra Bolivian natives that are used for the movie. The film crew is similarly foreign to Bolivia, but they are able to take advantage of the locals. By creating a film that produces a more accurate representation of the events of Columbus’s conquest, the crew is hoping that it will also make more money in the box office. They are able to get away with paying the extras only two dollars a day which would not have happened in a more developed area. Again, it can be seen that the benefits are much greater than the costs for the incoming
corporations. This same parallel, although not as directly related, can be observed with the water company as well. With background knowledge on this event, it is obvious that Bechtel & Co. are raising the rate of water by around fifty percent in order to gain some profit. This correlates to what happened with both Columbus’s conquest and the film crew’s payment of the extras. In one scene, the locals of Bolivia have dug and prepared a way for the water to get down to the main town. Later in the movie, the audience sees the water company attempting to lock up the well and make it corporately owned water. Here the company is trying to take advantage of the work that other people have done, but the locals are able to defend one of their sources of life. The company’s plan to hopefully increase their profit did not work out as they had planned while in Bolivia. Another parallel that ties in with the idea of corporations or people in power wanting to make money is that they oftentimes will act like they are helping the locals or that it is beneficial that they have traveled to their land. The underlying truth though is that they are there to make money. With old European imperialism, they may have told the people that if they cooperate they would not obliterate them or they may provide education or certain resources. More likely than not, it may come across as a threat or a false hope. The film crew may have believed that they were providing an income for those who originally were making nothing, but in reality, they were doing it because it would not cost the film company as much. The water company’s intent was to bring in skilled managers and technical experts to underdeveloped places, but it in turn ended up being an encroachment on the Bolivian’s freedoms. It forced the locals to pay money for the water and rain that sustained their life. Even though the corporations may believe that they are also helping those in underdeveloped countries, they are ultimately taking advantage of the native people in order to increase their profit. Overall, Even the Rain makes some strong comparisons between old European imperialism and recent waves of corporate exploitation in Bolivia. The audience is able to see that those in powerful positions still strive after wealth even after some six hundred years. It is not difficult to see how society can find people who are less fortunate than themselves and take advantage of their economic or social standings. While there are a multitude of other parallels that could have been discussed, the desire for gold or wealth is prominent in Even the Rain and in our culture today.