Crossing the Andes, Ep. 02 - The Skyscraper of Santiago

(El rascacielos de Santiago)
Stef Biemans | Documentary, Series

2018 | 25 minutes | The Netherlands

In the Chilean capital of Santiago, Stef Biemans visits South America’s highest skyscraper. It was built as a symbol of progress, but now the tower represents the dark side to that success story.

Synopsis

In the Chilean capital of Santiago, Stef Biemans visits South America’s highest skyscraper. It was once built as a symbol of progress, but now the tower represents the dark side to that success story: record depression and suicide rates.

The highest tower in South America rises out of the Santiago smog. It’s the symbol of the strong neoliberal economic system. The pride of Chile. But almost every month, someone jumps off it. Nowhere else are depression rates as high as in this country of remarkable economic prosperity. In and around this skyscraper, Stef tries to find out where it all went wrong. What are the prerequisites for success and how do you survive in the smog of neoliberalism? And what does make young Chileans happy? Looking for enlightenment of the soul through music, religion, laughter therapy and a Freudian bench.

Series Description

The Andes – in all their diversity – are the spine of South America. We traverse six countries, focusing on work, economy, health, and migration, to find out how South America is doing and which changes are taking place in the continent some call an investors paradise, while others say is still a mess…

Citation
Main credits

Biemans, Stef (film director)
Biemans, Stef (narrator)

Citation
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Keywords
andes,travel,central america,central american life,geography,location,place,country,location,physical place,terrain,spatial awareness,territory,map,place,space,maps,cartography,countries,cities,mountains,territories,states,nations,borders,boundaries,topology,topography,communications,journalism,news,information,media,new media,newspaper,newspaper,blogs,news site,news app,pulling string,gathering string,reporting,fourth estate,news media,journalists,journalist,reporters,reporter,sociology,anthropology,psychology,sociological,sociological perspectives,conflict theory,human conflicts,sociological thinking,conflict perspective,topics in sociology,sociology topics,sociology studies,social studies,people and cultures,human relations,human relationships,cultural studies,culture studies ,south america,south american countries,countries in south america,argentina,bolivia,brazil,chile,colombia,ecuador,guyana,paraguay,peru,suriname,uruguay,venezuela,south american politics,south american culture,south american cuisine,south american education,south america in media,south american languages,south america history,urban studies,urbanism,community development,communities,urbanization,civic centers,satellite cities,residential areas,gentrification,barrioization,boomtown,bedroom communities,city block,city center,community displacement,white flight,walkability,zoning,housing,incorporated areas,unincorporated areas,suburbs,exurbs,inner cities,inner city,conservation ,mental illness,therapy,trauma,behavioral health,mental disability,psychology,psychiatry,social work,wellbeing,counselor,diagnosis,mentally disabled,mental incapacitation,mentally defective,mental handicap,mental defective,psychotic break,psychosis,psychoses,mentally sound,questionable mental health,latin american studies,caribbean american studies,island studies,latin american culture,latin american history,latin american politics, caribbean american culture,caribbean american history,caribbean american politics, latin american languages,latin american and caribbean studies,hispanic american studies,hispanic people,hispanic culture,hispanic politics,economics,social class,money,capital,capitalism,class,economy,prejudice,intersectionality,inequality,poverty,income gap,wage gap,class warfare,elitism,snobbery,bourgeois,poverty,upper class,middle class,lower class,nouveau riche; "The Skyscraper of Santiago"; Pragda Films
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DIRECTOR: Stef Biemans

NATIONALITY: The Netherlands

YEAR: 2018

GENRE: Documentary, Series

LANGUAGE: Spanish; English

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School, College, Adults

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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