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| Alfredo Castro | ... | ||
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Amparo Noguera | ... |
Cony
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Héctor Morales | ... |
Goyo
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Paola Lattus | ... |
Pauli
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| Elsa Poblete | ... |
Wilma
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Nicolás Mosso | ... |
Tomás
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Enrique Maluenda | ... |
TV host
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| Marcelo Alonso | ... |
The Rumanian
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| Antonia Zegers | ... |
TV producer
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Diego Medina | ... |
TV producer
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Cristián Ordoñez | ... |
TV security guard
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Greta Nilsson | ... |
Cinema cashier
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Marta Fernández | ... |
Assaulted old lady
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Marcial Tagle | ... |
Glass seller
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Freddy Huerta | ... |
Man with flyers
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Raúl, a middle-aged, unemployed man, is obsessed by the character Tony Manero, who John Travolta plays in the film "Saturday Night Fever". He tries to imitate Travolta's impersonation in every detail, to be able to perform the most perfect Tony Manero himself. Raúl lives in a shabby house in Santiago. In a spacious room the landlady Wilma has a simple stage, where Raúl and some other tenants rehearse a show in Tony Moreno style. The young performers Goyo and Pauli are involved in underground activities against the Pinochet regime. Goyo gives some political flyers to a man. Raúl tails the man, and happens to see the secret police shooting him. After a while Raúl returns to the corpse, and steals the man's wristwatch. He goes to a junk dealer, where he swaps the watch for some thick glass bricks. He needs these for the stage floor, to be able to light up the show from beneath, just as in the film. In need of more glass bricks, he kills the junk dealer and steals the bricks. In his new ... Written by Maths Jesperson {[email protected]}
Tony Manero is a disturbing portrayal of humanity at its worst in trying times. During the dictatorship of Pinochet in the 70's, the movie portrays the suffering of the people and their efforts to continue life as normal. In contrast, the protagonist, Raúl, thinks of no one but himself and has no qualms about lashing out against those around him, seemingly with no consequences. The one thing he wants is to be Tony Manero and he is willing to do anything to obtain that goal, that lifestyle. The way that the plot plays out is often unexpected and the protagonist rarely speaks which builds up great anticipation. Raúl's attitude toward those who depend on him leaves much to be desired and he often betrays or abandons those who need and trust him most. The movie is violently unsettling and explicitly sexual; it leaves the viewer disturbed, almost traumatized. The events that take place in the film stay with the viewer and that may not necessarily be a welcome thought.