A sensitive study in class warfare, social bigotry and political awareness, "Machuca" thoughtfully examines the doomed relationship between two eleven-year-old boys in Chile and the families from which they come.

The film directed by Andres Wood is set in Santiago del Chile in 1973 just prior to the overthrown of the Socialist government of President Salvador Allende by right-wing forces headed by General Augusto Pinochet.

Wood, who studied filmmaking in the United States, was born in Chile in 1965 and the film filters his upper middle class childhood memories by revisiting a most turbulent time from that historical perspective, which is anything but sentimental.

His previous films made in Chile include the 1997 box office success "Football Stories" and the savvy 2001 political comedy "Loco Fever," in which lifting a ban on shellfish tosses a small fishing village into chaos.

The title of his fourth feature film as writer-director takes its name from one of the principle characters, Pedro Machuca, a poor shanty town Indian peasant who stands up to bullies. However, the story is seen for the most part through the eyes of the other major character, Gonzalo Infante, a shy, chubby, freckled-face son of an over-doting patrician mother and an often absent father who travels to Europe on business.

Infante, who serves as the director’s quietly observant alter ego, is called "Gordito" or "Little Fatty" by his slim, stylish mom, but perhaps someone felt naming a motion picture after a menu item found at "Taco Bell" might not bring in audiences as well the more mysterious sounding "Machuca."

Matias Quer as Gonzalo and Ariel Mataluna as the title character deliver credible and engaging performances as the products of different worlds who bond in the schoolyard and find common ground, at least for a while.

Subtlety is not the strong point of the film, which uses a bound gift volume of ‘The Lone Ranger" in translation as a shining example of how "white men" and "Indians" could possibly get along and work together if given the opportunity.

Their relationship is balanced by a mutual attraction to Silvana, Pedro’s slightly older cousin, a flirtatious and astute young woman who sells small flags to wave at competing rallies to both fascist members of the National Front and members of the Chile Communist Party. An innocent scene involving the trading of cans of condensed milk for kisses foreshadows less pleasant times ahead.

The film is dedicated to the head of the exclusive St. Patrick’s English School for Boys, who was deposed during the military takeover of the junta forces.

In the supporting role of left wing priest Father McEnroe, Ernesto Malbran literally stands head and shoulders above most of the cast as the open minded school administrator. His decision to allow socially disadvantaged students a "free ride" to matriculate with the often snooty sons of the privileged classes helps to fuel growing discontent of the bourgeoisie. His participation in a scene involving communion wafers is unforgettable.

Aline Kupperheim also makes her mark as Maria Luisa Infante, Gonzalo’s gorgeous mom who is having a rather open affair with a much older man, Roberto Ochogavia, a wealthy businessman from Argentina well played by Latin American superstar Federico Luppi.

Nominated for major awards for best film in Mexico and Spain, "Machuca" took top prizes at several international film festivals including Vancouver, Philadelphia, Lima and Bogota. It excels in the details of childhood and the careful recreation of the time and place.

Like young Gonzalo, Wood still seems rather guilty at not being able to do more when the situation called for doing the right thing. But sometimes when the soldiers come and the violence ensues, all one can do is pedal their bike home and hope they reach it safely.