Patricio Guzman's "Nostalgia for the Light" a philosophical investigation (rather than a straight 'documentary') connecting the farthest reaches of the Cosmos, the Astronomical Observatory at Atacama, the Desert itself, Salvadore Allende's Socialist Revolution and the following nightmares of Pinochet's dictatorship in Chile. Made many, many 'Films of 2010' lists from notable sources, (Sight & Sound, Film Comment, Cineaste) expecting something pretty richly contemplative and exceptional here. Along with the intensely investigative (and rarely seen) documentary in 3 parts, "The Battle for Chile". From the Northwest Film Forum: "Veteran Chilean director Patricio Guzmán continues to find new and extraordinary ways to never forget the harsh brutality of the Pinochet regime. Using the vast Atacama Desert, its astronomical musings and its archeological and anthropologically pristine treasures as the latest entry, Guzman’s Nostalgia offers up the most varied discussion of Chile’s haunted past yet. While astronomers at the nation’s finest observatories examine distant galaxies in search of probable extraterrestrial life, at the foot of the observatories, the women of Calama are digging through the desert soil in search of their disappeared relatives. A blend of science, philosophy, and politics, this urgent documentary is about the act of looking, which after all is the foundation of cinema."
Link to NWFF "Nostalgia for the Light" site
Link to NWFF "Patricio Guzman's Chile" site
