RIDM

Gustavo Proto, a Chilean living in Canada, lost his father at the age of 16 when he took his own life. Afterward, he decided that he would also opt for suicide if he contracted a fatal disease. Now 58 and stricken with Alzheimer’s, he’s determined to follow through on his decision, but finds his will to live returning when he goes back to Chile to fulfill his longtime dream of becoming a huaso (Chilean cowboy). His family is tormented at the thought of him dying. Carlo Guillermo Proto, Gustavo’s son, films his father’s uncommon journey and the family conflicts that arise from respecting his choice. El huaso is a meditative film that tackles the complex ideas of individual freedom and familial duty.