Telenovela
by Gonzalo C. Garcia
Set in Santiago towards the end of Pinochet''s dictatorship, TELENOVELA explores the secret lives of a family swept up in this dark period of Chile''s history.
There is Lucho: bullied by fellow soldiers for his love of poetry, thwarted in his ambitions to become a writer, unhappy at work.
He seems like a loving father.
He seems plain loveable, in fact.
And maybe he is.
But as TELENOVELA unfolds, other things come to light about Lucho that are less easy to indulge - or forgive.
There is Ramona, Lucho''s wife: tormented by anxiety, overwhelmed by self-loathing and body image problems.
As a drama student, Ramona once hoped to become a Telenovela star; she secretly daydreams that she might still get her big break.
Guileless, gentle, Ramona seems like an innocent.
But is she?
Then there is Pablo, their son: dreamy, gentle, eager to make friends, to form his own band and write some worthwhile songs.
Desperate to be cool... And increasingly, just desperate.
