Even the Rain sees Spanish director Icíar Bollaín’s (Take My Eyes) interrogate the never-ending exploitation of the powerless by the powerful.
It’s ostensibly about the making of a Christopher Columbus biopic, covering his discovery of America and ensuing exploitation of native Americans. But the filming of the biopic proves just another part of the same cycle, as the troubled production utilises cheap local labour, exploiting native Americans just as Columbus did. This unwitting comparison is embodied in the subtle performance of Gael Garcia Bernal as director Sebastian, who has vague sympathies for his low-paid workers but prioritises the success of his film above all else.