My Best Enemy

Rojas, a 19-year-old conscript from Santiago, is sent to Punta Arenas to face the looming conflict over Picton, Nueva, and Lennox Islands. He joins a small patrol tasked with guarding the Patagonian plains, far from home. The assignment marks his first exposure to the harsher realities of border duty.

Rojas and his fellow conscripts, along with a professional soldier, lose their bearings in the desolate Patagonian landscape. They come across an Argentinean group, and both sides realize they are uncertain which country’s border they stand on. The encounter quickly shifts from danger to a tense stand-off, foreshadowing potential conflict.

A Chilean soldier suffers a cut that becomes infected, threatening the unit’s strength. Rojas approaches Argentinean 1st Sergeant Enrique Ocampo to request help for his comrade. The willingness to seek medical aid blurs the lines between enemy and ally, easing immediate tension.

As the danger remains, the soldiers engage in lighthearted moments that momentarily soften the border's hostility. A temporary, informal border line is drawn and the idea of a friendly soccer match surfaces between the sides. These humorous episodes reveal shared human notes amid the tension.

The situation grows hotter as both sides anticipate a possible invasion on the night of December 22. Ocampo is warned that he must withdraw his troops, while Ferrer insists on staying to defend the border. The looming event stirs fear and resolve on both sides.

Before any clash, the Chileans ask Ocampo to deliver letters to their families in Chile should the war erupt. They want to preserve personal bonds despite the looming violence. The act highlights the human stakes behind the border conflict.

A radio message interrupts the tense standoff, informing Ocampo of Pope John Paul II's mediation and a formal withdrawal order. The possibility of peace shifts the dynamics away from outright conflict. The news provides a fragile window for de-escalation.

Emboldened by the mediation, Ocampo abandons his trench to approach the Chileans with a gesture of peace. He seeks to end the standoff and open dialogue between the two sides. The move challenges the border's rigid separation and represents a personal risk in a tense moment.

Soldier Orozco, who sees friendship with Argentines as betrayal, opens fire and triggers a crossfire. The fragile moment of peace collapses as both sides resort to hostilities. The sudden attack shocks everyone and escalates the danger.

During the crossfire, Ocampo is wounded in the conflict between the trenches. Chilean conscript José Almonacid from Puqueldón is killed by the gunfire. The toll of the violence becomes personal for both sides and raises the stakes for any further action.

With the border conflict unresolved, Rojas returns to Santiago driven by his love for Gloria. He hopes to reconnect and fulfill his feelings, even as the country’s mood remains unsettled. The personal quest contrasts with the wider political tension still simmering in memory.

Gloria rejects Rojas, and society quickly forgets the tense border events. The film closes on the note that personal lives resume as if the proximity to war never existed. The public memory of sacrifice is overshadowed by everyday concerns.