Chac
(1974, 95 min.) MEXICO/US
Director: Rolando Klein
Actors: Pablo Canché Balam, Alonzo Méndez Ton, Sebastián Santis,
Pedro Tiez and Antonio Castellanos
In Tzeltal with English subtitles.

Incorporating elements of Maya ceremony and story, Chac portrays a small village in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, during a terrible drought. After the local shaman fails to bring promised rain, men from the community go in search of a mysterious healer whose prayers they hope will be answered by Chac, the god of rain. Shot on location, the powerful acting by members of a local indigenous community make Chac as vivid as documentary and as gripping as myth.

Image credit: Film still from Chac