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Hidden Horrors Emerge in Andean Snows
8 May
Summary
- Film centers on a girl befriending a missing German skier.
- Explores trauma on personal, family, and political levels.
- Marks a significant debut for a Chilean female director.

Set against the backdrop of Chile's snowy Andes in 1992, "The Meltdown" (El Deshielo) follows young Inés as she befriends Hanna, a German teenage skier staying at her grandparents' hotel. Their connection is overshadowed when Hanna mysteriously disappears, triggering a search that unearths deeply buried secrets.
Directed by Manuela Martelli, this film is her second feature and her first writer-director effort in Cannes' Official Selection. It delves into themes of trauma and hidden truths, resonating on individual, familial, and political levels. "The Meltdown" is a co-production involving Chile, the United States, Spain, and Mexico.
The movie's inclusion in the Un Certain Regard lineup is a landmark achievement, being the first fiction feature by a Chilean female director in this prestigious section. Martelli views this as a vital step that could inspire future female filmmakers in Chile.