Put to the test : Matter and Memory
Nostalgia for the light
Nostalgia de la luz
Patricio Guzmán
In Chile, at three thousand metres altitude, astronomers from all over the world gather together in the Atacama desert to observe the stars. The desert sky is so translucent that it allows them to see right to the boundaries of the universe. It is also a place where the harsh heat of the sun keeps human remains intact : those of the mummies, explorers and miners. But also the remains of the dictatorship's political prisoners. Whilst the astronomers examine the most distant galaxies in search of probable extraterrestrial life, at the foot of the observatories a group of women are digging through the desert soil in search of their disappeared relatives…
Nostalgia For The Light is not only Guzmán’s masterpiece; it is one of the most beautiful cinematographic efforts we have seen for a long time. Its complex canvas is woven with the greatest simplicity. For forty years, Patricio Guzman has had to struggle every inch of the way, with a vivid memory and intimate suffering to reach this work of cosmic serenity, of luminous intelligence, with a sensitivity that could melt stone. At such a level, the film becomes more than a film. An insane accolade to mankind, a stellar song for the dead, a life lesson. Silence and respect.
(Jacques Mandelbaum, Le Monde, october 2010)
- Screenplay
- Patricio Guzmán
- Photography
- Katell Djian
- Sound
- Freddy González, Jacques Quinet
- Music
- Miranda & Tobar
- Editing
- Patricio Guzmán, Emmanuelle Joly, Ewa Lenkiewicz
- Production
- Atacama Productions, Blinker Filmproduktion &WDR, Cronomedia
