OVID.tv Presents NOSTALGIA FOR THE LIGHT Review – Our Past in the Stars

Posted on by Maryam Emami

The dry, sequestered atmosphere of the Atacama Desert furnishes the setting for us to witness a woman sitting cross legged on the ground, tell her story. There are long silences accompanied by the sound of the wind between the woman’s responses, emphasizing the heaviness she has carried for years, not knowing where they disposed of the body of her loved one. Halfway through the documentary, we are introduced to a group of  women, known as the women of Calama who search the Atacama Desert for the remains of their loved ones who lost their lives during Pinochet’s rule. Their wrinkled hands have been sifting through the sand grains unwaveringly for years. The camera focuses on one woman’s palm. Resting on it is a collection of small pieces she has gathered. Her voice in the background explains how she can tell what part of a human bone the pieces are from.

These women are not the only ones in the desert. There are also astronomers who look up at the sky, in contrast to the women who are looking down to find remains of the disappeared. For astronomers, this desert’s stardust is the main attraction. Guzmán narrates, “Science fell in love with the Chilean sky”. We meet astronomer Gaspar Galaz who explains his work in the observatory located in this desert. He comments that the science of astronomy is, in a sense, an investigation of our origins.

OVID.tv’s Nostalgia for the Light recognizes the human need to reconcile with the past

At intervals, Nostalgia for the Light transitions from images concerning Chile, and the ones going beyond Earth. The instrumental music begins to play, creating majestic awe and serenity. In one such instance, we feast our eyes on a black background with white dots scattered around the center mass. What captures the eye, looks like a child having had too much fun with their painting brushes, has carelessly splashed the green, orange, and white onto a canvas. Numerous images of abstract shapes burst at the seams with the colors of the galaxy, stars, and space.

In most scenes set on Earth, there is no music. The sound of the wind, narration, and noises of the setting ground us in the reality of the moment. In one segment, the camera moves alongside the measured steps of a man. The frame only allows us to follow Miguel Lawner’s legs. As he scales the room, we hear him saying the number of his steps aloud, “uno, dos, dos y medio, tres…”, repeating this movement on every side of the room and as he walks out. We then find out Miguel is an architect, and while imprisoned in Chile’s detention centers, used this method to measure and memorize the dimensions of the detention centers so he could accurately draw them later on.

Stillness envelops the film. By the end of the documentary, nothing has really changed in the lives of the interviewees. We share moments of reflection oscillating between space, and human stories of trauma and resilience. Guzmán’s solemn and soothing narration, the words of the featured speakers, and the array of still images capturing moments in time, echo Guzmán’s words, “I think that our roots are up above, beyond the light”.

Nostalgia for the Light is in Spanish with English subtitles. Steer clear if averse to heavy subjects regarding concentration camps. There are visuals of corpses and decomposed bodies. Also steer clear if looking for a complete focus on astronomy and space. This film is especially recommended to those who are drawn to explorations of human’s place in the universe through a blend of science and human stories.

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CREATIVE TEAM:

Director and Writer: Patricio Guzmán

Producer: Renate Sachse

Photography and Camera: Katell Djian

Original Music: Miranda and Tobar

To watch the film, visit the OVID.tv page for Nostalgia for the Light.

Images courtesy of OVID.tv

Maryam Emami
Maryam Emami

About the Author: Maryam Emami

Maryam Emami is a sophomore college student with a brain of an imaginative seven-year-old. She might appear introverted but that is because she explodes on her laptop keyboard, typing away anything from frustrations to the joys of life. One of her dear friends is Devvo, a Devotion Echeveria succulent, to whom she talks and reads Persian poems. She is on her way to becoming a responsible adult, but that is only a seven-year old's dream. In the meantime, she tries to learn and dance through life as much as she can.

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