Set in 1893, The Settlers follows the story of a wealthy landowner who hires three men to embark on an expedition in order to reclaim the land that belongs to an indigeneous community of Chile. This until the expedition turns violent against the backdrop of greed and politics. Now I must admit that I had to do a little bit of reading to completely get the gist of the Selk’nam genocide which is used as a backdrop in this tale. The Selk’nam genocide was essentially an event that followed the discovery of the gold rush in the archipelago of Chile wherein the State decided to use violence as a weapon to expedite the indigeneous community, many of whom were massacred or fortunate enough to escape the onslaught. The event was reminiscent of a later event in Oklahoma which was addressed in Killers Of The Flower Moon, and I couldn’t help but draw parallels where greed and politics ruled the roost. And hence, this was a story which was from a dark chapter of a country which was disturbing in many ways yet, the pattern of events(especially the one shown in the last 30 minutes) continue to hold its significance even to this day. The screenplay standing at a shade under a 100 minutes is a slow burn that exploits the simmering tensions beneath the surface in the form of violence which is cerebral yet disturbing, thereby making it a compelling watch. 

The drama does lay its foundation with a little context provided on the politics of land empowered by the power hungry members of the state who grant a piece of land to a wealthy business. And thus, we are introduced to a few principal characters including a ruthless Brit, an intimidating American bountry hunter and a timid local to carry out an expedition against folks of the indigeneous community who reside on the banks of a ‘gold-rush’ region. The interesting part about the writing was its characterization particularly of its three protagonists, each of whom have a different trait with respect to the politics of the land wherein they are merely pawns. Out of the three, the timid local isn’t entirely in agreement with the decision made by the State, something that is reflective through his body language much to the dismay of the dominating Brit whose sole purpose is to carry out the expedition smoothly. 

The proceedings move at a leisurely pace that allows the viewers to imbibe the underlying tension in the drama even as the characters slowly inch their way towards their target. The actual expedition is subtly violent and supremely disturbing to a point that it will leave you numb. The politics of the land resulting in the death of many innocent beings who are powerless was and will continue to be the flavour of the globe, yet the perspective will always be of ‘peace’ and that everything is fine(and fair) at the end of the day. I liked how the writing did highlight the hierarchies of power, particularly with the late introduction of another Colonel who is even more ruthless than the Brit, and he soon exercizes his control on the group by intimidating one character and killing another. This was reflective of the food chain of politics wherein even the most powerful personality is dispensible. 

The drama ascends into several bouts of relevance in the final 30 minutes wherein the proceedings jump timelines to the future. The Selk’nam genocide is a thing of the past yet there is a constant fear of maintaining the image of the country as they ‘stand’ for ‘peace’ despite the several killings that it had undergone. And as a result, a couple of the characters(both locals) are asked to don clothes of earnestness and present a picture of inclusivity while almost being arm-twisted and threatened. This for me depicts a picture which is true even today where authorities across the globe threaten their people to showcase one side of their country that is in sync with the popular opinion while maintaining a certain image. And it is a sad reality depicted in a screenplay which is very well written.