My Tender Matador

In spring 1986, a poor Santiago neighborhood buzzes with protests and a sense of hope under the dictatorship. The Queen of the Corner arrives and rents a dilapidated house, becoming a new figure in the community. Carlos helps her settle and soon begins to frequent the home, inviting university friends for quiet study sessions at night.

Carlos becomes a regular visitor, assisting with belongings and hosting late night study gatherings. Secret meetings, held during curfew, grow more frequent as conversations drift toward politics and longing. The overall atmosphere remains tense, with the dictatorship watching from the margins.

During these conversations, the Queen opens up about her past, including prostitution, a broken family, and being motherless. She describes an abusive father who tried to force her into military service, and how she left home at eighteen to escape him. These revelations deepen their bond and reveal the private risks hidden within public defiance.

September arrives and protests on the coup's anniversary intensify across the capital. The city fills with marches, banners, and a fragile sense of hope despite the dictatorship's persecution. The tension in the streets mirrors the private risks the characters take.

One morning, Carlos leaves a suspicious metal pipe at the Queen's house, then invites her for a walk to Cajón del Maipo. He presents the excursion as a university project, taking notes and photographs as they travel. The scene foreshadows the mounting tension between private life and state power.

On the way to Cajón del Maipo, Carlos and the Queen witness Pinochet's armored vehicle pass by with a stern military retinue. Inside the car, Lucía Hiriart reproaches her husband for not being widely recognized abroad, and she unexpectedly dances for him. A radio report soon reveals a raid by the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front, after which Carlos leaves abruptly.

Back in the city, Pinochet realizes that the couple they saw were homosexuals and orders that surveillance be set up at the site. The decision demonstrates the regime's policing of private life. The direction increases the risk for the characters and their circle.

The Queen earns her living embroidering tablecloths and goes to deliver an order in the upper district to Señora Catita, the wealthy wife of General Ortúzar. This errand ties the Queen to the city’s social elite and its political machinery. The event unfolds the next morning.

General Ortúzar is organizing a large military dinner for the September 11 anniversary. The dinner underscores the regime's show of power and ritual around the national day. The Queen's visit intersects with these preparations, exposing her to higher echelons of authority.

Despite requests from her few gay friends, the Queen has not introduced her lover. This hesitation highlights the social stigma and personal risk of queer relationships under the dictatorship. The private life of the characters remains closely guarded.

Surveillance is set up by authorities, but secret meetings continue in the neighborhood as people discuss politics and personal life away from prying eyes. The risk remains high in a city where protests and censorship collide. The gatherings persist despite the mounting threat.

Following the Cajón del Maipo episode, the Queen resumes her embroidery work as she faces a day shadowed by the looming military anniversary. The neighborhood stays tense as people balance love, loyalty, and risk under continual surveillance. The film paints a portrait of life where private desires persist within a politicized landscape.