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Introduction
In the summer of 201 1, the daring rescue of a group of trapped Chilean miners brought the Atacama Desert region to the world 's attention. However, the region has long been known to Chileans for its mineral riches and its crystal-clear skies perfect for stargazing, and it is indelibly and painfully linked to Chilean history. In "Nostalgia for the Light," Patricio Guzman documents the effort of Chilean citizens to come to grips with their shared history some 20 years after the end of the Pinochet dictatorship. Guzman weaves together the words and experiences of nine Chileans, all linked by their shared love of astronomy and their ties to the Atacama Desert. All were also directly or indirectly affected by the regime. Their stories recount the pain and loss Chileans endured following the 1973 coup d'etat, and the society's struggle to heal from its trauma. However, the film remains hopeful throughout. It is a powerful example of ethical behavior in action.
Film Description
"Nostalgia for the Light" is a 90-minute Spanish-language film with English subtitles. Produced by Renate Sachse for Atacama Productions (France) and released by Icarus Films, its theatrical release was March 17, 201 1, and its DVD release was September 1, 2011. It is the fifth documentary by Patricio Guzman, a former television news reporter turned filmmaker. Like Guzman's prior films, "the Battle of Chile" (1978), "Chile, Obstinate Memory" (1997), "The Pinochet Case" (2001), and "Allende" (2004), "Nostalgia for the Light" is concerned with the events of September 11, 1973, when the Chilean military under the command of General Augusto Pinochet overthrew the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende. While the earlier films focus on events surrounding the coup, "Nostalgia for the Light" is set in present-day Chile. It uses the Atacama, with its various links to preColombian settlement, 19th-century mining, post-coup concentration camps, and modernday observatories, as the backdrop for the story.
"Nostalgia for the Light" is a documentary. It uses the personal histories of nine Chileans to describe the larger society's response to the individual and collective trauma of the coup and the subsequent dictatorship. It incorporates interviews with the primary subjects and intersperses archival film, photographs and telescope images. The camerawork features intimate interior interview scenes, sweeping panoramic shots...