Even the Rain (Spanish: También la lluvia) is a 2010 drama film directed by Icíar Bollaín and written by Paul Laverty.
When casting directors start to turn people away in line, Daniel makes a scene and states that everyone should get a chance to audition, as the pamphlet advertised.
Filming begins smoothly despite the alcoholism of Anton, the actor cast as Columbus, but when Costa observes Daniel's revolutionary involvement, he becomes increasingly uneasy about Sebastián's decision.
The next day, as the cast and crew prepare to depart for filming, Costa is met by Daniel's wife, Teresa, who implores him to assist her in finding Belén, who has disappeared into the protests and is reportedly wounded and in need of hospitalization.
Costa expresses hope that the film will be finished after all, and Daniel emotionally presents him with a vial of Bolivian water in appreciation for saving his daughter.
[10] Roger Ebert admires the filmmakers' courage in choosing the Bolivian water crisis as subject matter, but notes potential hypocrisy, writing, "…at the end I looked in vain for a credit saying, 'No extras were underpaid in the making of this film.
'"[4] The New York Times writer Stephen Holden also raises this concern, asserting, "You can't help but wonder to what degree its makers exploited the extras recruited to play 16th-century Indians.
"[5] Also, Holden addresses Costa's transformation, writing, "Mr. Tosar goes as far as he can to make the character's change of heart believable, but he can't accomplish the impossible.
"[5] Contrarily, Marshall Fine of the Huffington Post views Tosar's efforts as praiseworthy, calling him "perfect as the producer: bull-headed, charming, conniving and wheedling when he needs to be – but a man with a vision, who ultimately gets his mind changed.
"[11] Praising the film overall, Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post calls Even the Rain "a story in which personal connections can transcend even the most crushing structures of history and politics.
But the bigger problem was that [the state utility company] Semapa's water tariffs had been too low for too long, starving the system of investment.
These twin failings meant that any new contract, public or private, was bound to lead to unacceptable price rises.The restoration of civilian rule to Bolivia in 1982 ended decades of military dictatorships, but did not bring economic stability.
In October 1999, the privatization of Cochabamba's municipal water supply followed, allowed by a new law and the investment of a new firm, Aguas del Tunari – a joint venture involving San Francisco-based Bechtel Corporation.
It follows the production of a period film about the myth of Christopher Columbus, whom few paint as he really was: a man obsessed with gold, a slave hunter, and a repressor of ethnic groups.
The scale of the protest was such that Bechtel eventually abandoned the Bolivian market, the water contract was cancelled, and a new company was installed under public control.