Featured Audience Ratings

• Anthony L

  
  Nostalgia for the Light is a speculative and dream-like documentary mixing archaeology and astrology but explaining that they are one and the same. Patricio Guzmán also uses Chile's history from Pre-Colombian sheppards, 19th century explorers and miners and victims of… More
  Nostalgia for the Light is a speculative and dream-like documentary mixing archaeology and astrology but explaining that they are one and the same. Patricio Guzmán also uses Chile's history from Pre-Colombian sheppards, 19th century explorers and miners and victims of Pinochet's regime to further explain the need to look into our past to see into the future. The fact that the Pre-Colombian Shepperd's drawings are on rocks close to the Chilean observatory, with the mummies of explorers close by and that the area is frequented by the mothers and wives of the victims of the nearby concentration camp who are looking for what remains they can find (often small fragments of bone) just helps to paint this picture of the history of everything in such a small and arid place in the most haunting and beautiful way. My only wish is that I'd seen this on the big screen. Herzog's documentaries are my favourite but this comes a close second.

• Walter M

  
  "Nostalgia for the Light" is an impressive and powerful cine-essay from Patricio Guzman that is marred only by some unnecessary effects work, especially considering the naturally spectacular Atacama Desert of Chile which resembles Mars on display.(So, I would not be… More
  "Nostalgia for the Light" is an impressive and powerful cine-essay from Patricio Guzman that is marred only by some unnecessary effects work, especially considering the naturally spectacular Atacama Desert of Chile which resembles Mars on display.(So, I would not be surprised if it has ever been used as a location for a science fiction movie.) Its height of 5,000 meters is optimum for the use of telescopes to look backwards into the history of the cosmos.(To the film's credit, there is one astoundingly mindbending bit of metaphysics arguing that due to the speed of light, there is no true present.) As we are informed, this is in a country that going back to colonial times has had a problem with how it views its past. This continues to the present day's challenges with how it deals with the mass killings committed under the Pinochet dictatorship. With the desert's total lack of humidity(the only place on earth like this), it preserves ancient artifacts extremely well, not to mention more recent bodies that were dumped there(one is found during filming) in the hope of never being found again. However, an intrepid group of volunteers carry on their neverending search to find closure for themselves and loved ones. In the end, one has to come to terms with the past before one can look to the future and maybe eventually to the stars.

• Mark A

  
  Beautiful cinematography and incredible views of the universe, but this film lacked focus and tried maybe a little too hard to draw parallels between astronomy, archaeology and the search for traces of those who were "disappeared" during the reign of terror that occurred in… More
  Beautiful cinematography and incredible views of the universe, but this film lacked focus and tried maybe a little too hard to draw parallels between astronomy, archaeology and the search for traces of those who were "disappeared" during the reign of terror that occurred in Chile under Pinochet. By casting such a wide net, the filmmakers wound up only able to scratch the surface of any of these three topics. The setting was the arid desert in the Chilean highlands, Atacama, the most arid place on earth. This is where NASA conducted experiments for its mars mission, as the climate most closely approximates the conditions on the red planet. This lends itself to near-perfect conditions for stargazing and also provides an environment where bodies are naturally mummified. The filmmakers aim was noble. This film failed to live up to its promise.

• Hassan V

  
  This is a documentary embraced and draped in total respect, beauty and profound contemplation. It is an essay, a cinematic spectacle, a tribute to the dead, a tribute to the stars and Herzog-esque in its form of creative documentary. Try to catch this if you ever see it playing and I… More
  This is a documentary embraced and draped in total respect, beauty and profound contemplation. It is an essay, a cinematic spectacle, a tribute to the dead, a tribute to the stars and Herzog-esque in its form of creative documentary. Try to catch this if you ever see it playing and I need to seek out more of this directors work!

• Bill C

  
  The movie is built around a metaphor about history/time. The astronomy half is aesthetically appealing. The second half is languid interviews with 5 women who have dedicated 30+ years of their lives searching for the remains of relatives. I made it about half way through the second… More
  The movie is built around a metaphor about history/time. The astronomy half is aesthetically appealing. The second half is languid interviews with 5 women who have dedicated 30+ years of their lives searching for the remains of relatives. I made it about half way through the second part and turned it off. The point when I turned it off was when you learn the one woman had found the foot and portion of the scull of here brother several years ago and she was still looking for more pieces. Also the keep flashing back to the astronomer asking him questions about the women and Chile's brutal history.