The chill in Manuela Martelli’s cinema is never just atmospheric. Her acclaimed feature debut, “1976,” used one woman’s dawning political fear to open a window into Chile under its notorious 1970s dictator, Augusto Pinochet. Her follow-up, “The Meltdown,” moves a generation forward to 1992, after the dictatorship’s fall, but the past has not simply disappeared. It lingers in the landscape, in families, and in whatever adults choose not to explain to children.
Written and directed by Martelli, “The Meltdown” will premiere in Un Certain Regard at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, marking a strong return to the Croisette for the Chilean filmmaker. “1976” premiered in Directors’ Fortnight in 2022, and her new film sounds like another politically charged coming-of-age mystery, this time filtered through the eyes of a nine-year-old girl.
“The Meltdown” is set in Chile in 1992. Staying at her grandparents’ remote hotel near an Andean ski resort, Inés, 9, befriends Hanna, a 15-year-old German skier. When Hanna vanishes without a trace, the search for her begins to expose buried truths around the hotel, the family, and the country, still carrying the aftershocks of its recent history.
Martelli’s first feature showed a gift for building tension through restraint: glances, domestic rituals, and the sense that danger can silently enter the room without notice. This new premise gives her another contained world where personal unease and national trauma can move through the same corridors.
The cast includes Maya O’Rourke, Saskia Rosendahl, and Maia Rae Domagala, with Jakub Gierszał, Paulina Urrutia, and Mauricio Pešutić also among the ensemble. Rosendahl is likely the most familiar name for international arthouse audiences, thanks to Cate Shortland’s 2012 drama “Lore,” while Urrutia brings a direct connection to Chilean cinema and stage work. Behind the camera, Benjamín Echazarreta, whose credits include “A Fantastic Woman” and “Gloria,” serves as cinematographer.
“The Meltdown” is produced by Ronda Cine, Cinema Inutile, and Wood Producciones, with Elastica Films, Piano, and Fundación Río co-producing. Les Films du Losange handles French distribution, while Losange Films handles international sales.
A small teaser for “The Meltdown” has arrived ahead of its Cannes premiere. Watch the teaser below.
Rodrigo Perez is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Playlist, which he launched in 2008. He has worked in entertainment journalism since 2000, including at MTV, and has written for SPIN, IndieWire, Pitchfork, Complex, Magnet, and various music, film, and entertainment publications over the past two decades.
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
