Hot Docs Fest Teases ‘Breaking the Brick’ From ‘Chicago Boys’ Directors
Holly Jones Cognizant of the ever-raw emotion elicited by monumental civil unrest, Chilean producer-directors Carola Fuentes and Rafael Valdeavellano glimpse boldly into the Neoliberal structures that seemingly divided and destroyed a nation’s prosperity. With a lens on the uphill battle to achieve a semblance of peace amidst a global pandemic, a country makes an historic and eager leap towards progress, a new constitution and leader at the fore.“Breaking The Brick” dutifully follows the pair’s 2015 feature-length documentary, “Chicago Boys,” which interviewed authors in charge of drafting El Ladrillo, a Neoliberal free market text-turned economic model influenced by Milton Friedman and instituted by the Pinochet dictatorship. Though touted as a miraculous way to bring prosperity to Chile, the system eventually drew criticism when the public saw wealth disparities spiral.