First there were the Mayan’s, then along came the Spanish. As a result, a culture existing previously for thousands of years would never be the same.
Roland Klein’s film “Chac” (The rain God) is a story of Mayan culture. And for me, a story very reminiscent to Chinua Achebe's “Things Fall Apart.”
During a punishing drought, a small village calls on the knowledge of their ancestors to conjure a much needed rain. The Cacique, much like a chief, leads a group of thirteen men, also accompanied by a mute boy, to seek the Diviner—a spiritual man whom the villagers believe can bring the rain. Mysticism and folklore are a large part of a culture, which still, interestingly, throngs outside a large cave, amongst the glow of warm candles, as fervent prayers are offered to the saints.
Religion plays important role in the film. The story is told over nine days which represents the nine lords in a Mayan folktale. The parallels of Mayan religion and Christianity echo through out the film. And subtly Klein reveals a Mayan culture struggling for survival: not only is the culture faced with overcoming a drought but also passing on knowledge, the oral tradition, and beliefs their ancestors. Which now rest in the hands of the Cacique’s last option: the Diviner.
From their first meeting the Cacique greets the Diviner, his potential savior, with mistrust. One important element to watch for is the mute boy who tags along. Out of the other men, he’s the only one who trusts the Diviner, the only one who pays attention to the Diviners stories. This relationship proves to be essential—and in my opinion a very important theme in the film.
The themes in Chac are very subtle. Mysticism is fused with the storytelling. And the events occur, seemingly, at random. But with careful observation, the meaning, like the secrets told from the Diviner, can be acknowledged with a keen eye.
In my opinion this film is a remarkable piece of filmmaking—independent filmmaking at its best. There’s only one trained actor in the film. The rest are local residents of the Mexican state of Chiapas. Faced with much adversity on location—actors getting hurt, people quitting in the middle of production—Klein has managed to produce story of honesty. Klein depicts Mayan culture but is careful not to romanticize it. He tells the truth of colonization, and dangers of capitalism swallowing cultures whole. And he does so with out fear, totally bypassing the thoughts of critics. Luckily for Klein, he shot the film for 300,000 dollars loaned to him by his father. There's a luxury behind being your own boss. Note to self, you want to make the film you envision, get your own funding. To bad I don't have a rich father...
