AllMovie

The townspeople living near a state-run prison in Chile would probably rather forget that it is there, but even from outside the walls they can hear the shrieks of men being tortured, and they cannot pretend not to see the treatment given to men who almost succeed in escaping. Finally, they agree, all of them, that enough is enough. They cannot face themselves in the mirror or hold their heads up if they do not protest this depravity, no matter what the consequences. Soon, every man in town is imprisoned for protesting prison abuses, except one old grandfather who was too old to join in. He cannot bear to be left outside, and calls the guards rude names until he is taken as well. This bleak but inspiring film won the West German State Film Prize in 1976.