A breathtaking portrait of Chile, astronomy, archaeology and the paradoxes and similarities therein
This past weekend I was lucky enough to stumble upon a free screening of the documentary, Nostalgia for the Light at the Phoenix Art Museum. The 2010 film, by Chilean director Patricio Guzmán, painted a stunning picture of some of the most fascinating elements of Chile. I highly recommend it, even if you don’t know anything about the country, or its veiled past.
Chile’s Atacama desert is the driest place on Earth and an astronomer’s and archaeologist’s dream come true. There, they have a translucent sky above, along with access to preserved and untouched artifacts from the land below.
But despite these crystal clear views of “the past,” Chile’s view of its own recent history – specifically during the Pinochet dictatorship – remains sadly obscure. This paradox is highlighted and articulated masterfully in the film with gripping accounts from astronomers, archaeologists and Chileans who are dealing (or have dealt) with the past in various unique ways.
How profoundly similar the elusive search for the origins of life through the solar system is to the search for truth in Chile’s history.
Having spent time living in Chile and writing much about the culture, this topic hits close to home for me. But no matter what your background, this film will get your wheels spinning and leave you with much to chew on well after it’s over.