Hey guys. Vi from Movies Hunter here. So I recently watched this drama movie released in 2015
called “Colonia.” Initially, I thought this is going to be a boring movie, but the story kept me
hooked till the end. The cast did a wonderful job of giving life to all the characters.
And what’s more interesting is that the movie is based on a true story. So the film is set in
1973 when Chile was seeing a massive shift in its politics. Amidst the protests and chaos, a young
and beautiful air hostess named Lena lands in the country. She is going to be staying in Chile for
a couple of days with the rest of her crew. They then come across a large group protesting in the
streets. There, Lena sees her boyfriend Daniel and rushes to see him. They are in a serious
long-distance relationship and are excited to be finally reunited. The next morning, Daniel gets a
call from a friend, who warns him that there has been a military coup and Pinochet has taken over.
So they need to vacate the apartment immediately, as the soldiers are arresting all the supporters
of Allende. Daniel tries to take some photographs as the two run onto the street. But one of the
soldiers catches him and arrests Daniel and Lena. They are then taken to the stadium in the city at
gunpoint. After a long wait, a man, whose face is obscured, is brought there to identify anyone who
is supposedly against the new government. The man identifies Daniel, soon after which he is dragged
away into a vehicle and taken away, while Lena watches helplessly. The next day, Lena and the
other dissidents are released. Worried about Daniel’s safety, Lena goes to meet his friends
and asks them to help her find her boyfriend. However, they refuse to help, saying that their
cause is bigger than Daniel. But they inform Lena that Daniel has been taken south to a place
called Colonia Dignidad, the Colony of Dignity. There Daniel is continuously being tortured by
the military, who will not let him go until he reveals the names of his accomplices. Lena learns
that Colonia is a dark cult, run by a man called Pius, who has the full support of the government.
Desperate to save her boyfriend, Lena decides to join the cult. So she dresses plainly like
a nun with a crucifix and walks across a large field to reach the colony located beyond the
mountains. At the gate of the colony, Lena is greeted by a senior cult member named Gisela.
Gisela takes her to the office, where she takes away her passport and all other belongings,
saying that she won’t be needing them anymore. She is then taken to Pius, who is going to interview
her and learn why she wants to join them. He notices that Lena is extremely beautiful and
asks her if she has a boyfriend. But Lena denies it, saying that she wants to follow the way of the
Lord. But Pius sees through her lies and forces her to strip. Pius sees that Lena is wearing
modern clothes underneath and questions her true intention. So Lena lies that she is there for him.
Pius believes her and accepts her in his cult just like that. Later that night, Lena meets a woman
named Dorothea, who is excited to have Lena with them. Dorothea excitedly tells her that she is
going to get married soon. Just then, Gisela comes there and hands some mysterious pills to Lena and
the other women. Lena asks what it is, but Gisela refuses to answer and orders her to swallow it.
Meanwhile, Daniel is taken to the hospital after hours of continuous torture. The doctor says that
the electric shock may have damaged his brain, and he may never be normal again. On the other hand,
Lena witnesses the brutal reality of the place. She is forced to work in a field all day and is
beaten by Gisela mercilessly if she stops. On the 9th day, when Lena asks Dorothea how she
met her husband, Dorothea replies that there is a mixed parade, where men and women are allowed to
meet once in a while. When asked when she met her fiancé last time, Dorothea says three years ago,
as there hasn’t been any parade since. 37 days later, Daniel recovers from his injuries and plays
dumb, pretending to be called Hans. He is then brought back to the colony and will have to work
for Pius now. Meanwhile, Lena talks with Gisela and tells her that she is happy for Dorothea,
and wishes her a happy married life. But later that night, Dorothea is forcibly taken to a men’s
gathering. Lena follows them and is shocked to learn that Dorothea’s marriage plan was her secret
and that marriage is prohibited in the colony. Pius insults Dorothea by telling her she is ugly,
dirty, and unloved. Pius and the other men then brutally beat Dorothea to punish her for falling
in love. Lena is helplessly watching the assault. She then sees Daniel sitting in the room and is
relieved to see him alive. She wants to let Daniel know that she is there to help him escape. So she
goes to a nearby stream and swims naked, as she too hopes to be taken to the men’s gathering.
Pius is furious at Lena and wants to punish her for defiling their water. But Lena is shocked to
see that Daniel isn’t present at the gathering, as he is trying to escape that night. As the men are
about to assault Lena, Daniel accidentally sets off an alarm, causing the men to find him. Daniel
attempts to climb the fence, but gets electrocuted and is knocked out. Pious and the other men find
Daniel and think that since he is a retard, he must have run into the fence. On the 130th day,
Pius is making the young boys sing for him. He then directs three boys to the bathroom,
where he sexually assaults them. After a couple of days, the next communal parade finally happens,
where Daniel and Lena finally meet after almost six months. They agree to meet in the barn,
where Lena has the night shift. So later that night, Daniel volunteers for night duty and goes
to meet Lena. They embrace each other and are happy to be together again. Just then, Daniel
accidentally discovers a tunnel under the barn. So he goes into the tunnel and discovers the room
where he was tortured. So the next day, he steals a camera and takes some photos of the tunnel and
the torture room. He then gives the photos to Lena and tells her to let the world know what happened
here, but Lena is not pleased by this, as these photos are the reason why they are here in the
first place. Just then, Ursel, Gisela’s daughter comes there to help Lena peel the potatoes. She
reveals that she knows about Lena and Daniel and that she was told to spy on them. She also knows
that she and Daniel are planning to escape. So she requests Lena to take her with them, as she
is pregnant and will be killed if she stays. Just then, Gisela also comes there and discovers the
photos Lena was hiding. Lena is then taken to Pius for interrogation and she is in big trouble
now. But Daniel comes there and frames his boss by saying that he found the photos in his boss’
office. So Lena is dismissed and Gisela takes her back to her room. But Lena knocks her out
and returns to the barn with Daniel. There they meet Ursel and the three enter the tunnel. They
manage to get to the other side of the fence and are happy to be finally free. But their happiness
is short-lived, as Ursel steps into a trap and is killed. Meanwhile, Pius realizes that Daniel
was pretending to be a retard this whole time. So he and the other men set out to find Daniel.
Meanwhile, Daniel and Lena hitchhike to the German embassy in Santiago. There Daniel hands over the
photos to the ambassador and tells him everything that happened to them. So the ambassador promises
them protection and even gives them new passports. But they are told that there aren’t any flights
till next week. Desperate to leave the country, Lena uses her contacts at the airline to book
herself and Daniel onto the flight. The ambassador then decides to personally escort the two to the
airport, saying that Pius and his men may already be looking for them everywhere. The ambassador
then tells Daniel and Lena to wait for him in a room. But Lena is running out of patience and
becomes suspicious. She sees through the window and sees that the embassy has brought Pius and
the army to detain them. Realizing that they are locked inside the room, they break the window and
escape before Pius can catch them. Daniel and Lena then rush to the airport where they hear
the final call for the flight. Although Pius catches up to them he can’t get to them because
of the glass between them. Daniel and Lena somehow steal a baggage truck and race towards the plane
before Pius catches them. Lena’s friend and pilot see them and order the door to be opened. Daniel
and Lena quickly board the plane just in time, leaving Pius trapped on the steps. But just as
the plane is about to depart, the army forces the airport control tower to order the plane not to
take off. Lena begs her friend to understand the situation and asks him to take off immediately.
Sensing the danger they are in, the pilot ignores the order from the tower and takes off. Pius sees
the plane leaving knowing that it’s too late now. The credits reveal that Colonia Dignidad was a
leading torture prison for the Chilean secret police. Hundreds of detainees were interrogated,
killed, and buried on the grounds. In almost 40 years, only 5 cult members managed to escape.
Photographs smuggled out by Daniel were published internationally, causing a major scandal. However,
nothing changed in Chile. Pius was eventually arrested in Argentina in 2004, shortly after
the end of the Pinochet regime. He was then sentenced to 33 years imprisonment and died in
prison in 2010. However, neither the German Embassy staff nor Pinochet was held accountable
for their ties with Pius. So this was the story of “Colonia.” See you in the next hunt.