Monday, February 21, 2011

Nuestro Cine: Sweetness and light

Day and night. Light and dark. The past and the future.

What appears like distinct qualities can sometimes have points in common. This juxtaposition is explored in "Nostalgia de la Luz" ("Nostalgia for the Light"), a 2010 documentary by Patricio Guzman. Guzman film is set in Chile's Atacama Desert, an area classified by a 2002 Christian Science Monitor as the "astronomy capital of the world." The desert's climate and environment is optimal for studying the wonders of the firmament but may have also been an ideal burying ground for victims of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship.

The Hollywood Reporter's review of the documentary summarizes it's main theme:
Guzman goes beyond a basic science/religion dichotomy (mentioned by a young astronomer at the beginning of the film) to probe the universe for secrets into the origins of man, without canceling out our obligations to history and the moral obligation to hold the dead in memory.
"Nostalgia de la Luz" has won several awards on the international film festival circuit and it will be featured tonight at New York City's Museum of Modern Art. (Guzman will be speaking at tonight's screening according to the museum's website).

Below is the trailer for the captivating "Nostalgia de la Luz":

Video Source - UniFrance Film via YouTube
Online Sources - CSMonitor.com, The Hollywood Reporter, imdb.com, moma.org,

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