Spanish with English subtitles
With Pepe Rovano, Josefina Rovano, Verónica Rovano, Rodrigo Retamal, Frine Salas, Javiera Retamal, Berta Manríquez, Isolda Torres, Nahuel Salvador Díaz, Gonzalo Díaz, Magdalena Garcés, Rodolfo Gárate, Mariela Torres, Antonieta Oyanguren, Alexander Castillo, Miguel Antonio Muñoz, Daniela Alcaide, Leandro Silva
At 35, director Navarrete Rovano, who had grown up fatherless and labeled a “bastard,” discovered his father was Colonel Rodrigo Retamal, a notorious Chilean police chief involved in human rights abuses. This revelation sparked a 13-year journey to confront his father and meet the families torn apart by the regime’s brutality, as he struggled to reconcile with his dark inheritance.
Amid the backdrop of Chile’s 2019 social unrest, his personal journey evolved into activism, and he became a key figure in the movement that ultimately led to the drafting of a new constitution—marking a pivotal moment in Chile’s fight to end the long-standing impunity of its corrupt establishment.
Press
“Bastard is emblematic of the profound trauma that generations of Chileans continue to process.” – Juan Marín, Culturizarte
Notes on Film
“It is difficult for me to talk about this story, my story. I grew up with my mother, without a father. A bastard.
At the age of 35, I found my father and discovered that he had murdered political opponents during the dictatorship in Chile. The illegitimate son of a police chief during the Pinochet dictatorship, I embarked on a 14-year-long journey to find and confront him. I filmed every moment.
During this trip, I searched for and met the children of my father’s victims. I also looked for and met my peers whose fathers committed murders on behalf of the regime.
My experience evolved into a project to recover memory, truth, and justice in a country unable to deal with its dark past, where most political crimes are still unpunished. Impunity has been granted to most of them. This is a story of betrayal for some, of nobility for others.”
– Jose Luis Navarrete Rovano, Director
