Review of Nostalgia for the Light (2010) by Ken T — 15 Jan 2011

Nostalgia for the Light is a magnificent film - a masterful combination of visuals, sound and storytelling. In the very dry Atacama desert in Chile, astronomers have the benefit of zero humidity allowing them to see the night sky better than any other place on the planet.

They indicate that their study is the study of the past as the light being emitted is not in the present, but in the past. They are searching for clues to understand this past history. Meanwhile in the same location, the Atacama desert has been historically used as a travel route by pre-Columbian shepherds and more recently the dumping ground of bodies, victims of the Pinochet regime.

There are women who still comb this arid desert for clues about their loved ones who disappear, finding bits of bone. The Atacama desert is an unforgiving landscape full of history, with incredible amount of history in the sky and in the ground.

The narration is very poetic linking the story of this place beautifully. The beauty of the landscape as well as pictures from space. Nostalgia for the Light is a brilliantly conceived documentary and tremendous filmmaking.