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Nostalgia for the Light

Play trailer Poster for Nostalgia for the Light 2010 1h 30m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 49 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
In Chile's Atacama Desert, widows search for the bones of loved ones, left by Pinochet's atrocities.

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Nostalgia for the Light

Critics Reviews

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Tim Robey Daily Telegraph (UK) A seriously remarkable documentary-essay from the Chilean filmmaker Patricio Guzmn. Rated: 5/5 Jul 13, 2012 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian This is one of the films of the year. Rated: 5/5 Jul 12, 2012 Full Review Nigel Andrews Financial Times You wait all year for a thought-provoking movie-essay on life, art, science or history. Then in Nostalgia for the Light all four arrive together. Rated: 4/5 Jul 12, 2012 Full Review Diane Carson KDHX (St. Louis) Patricio Guzmán’s 2010 documentary “Nostalgia for the Light” provides a dramatic introduction to the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, located between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Oct 29, 2024 Full Review Jordan M. Smith IONCINEMA.com Nostalgia For The Light is a gorgeously contemplative masterpiece by a supreme filmmaker who's questions leave us with a sense of wonder and our own new mysteries to ponder. Rated: 4.5/5 Nov 19, 2020 Full Review David Harris Spectrum Culture Nostalgia for the Light does nothing with bombast. Rated: 4/5 Nov 6, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Liam D An fascinating and interesting documentary about looking into the cosmos that might introduce new people into that space Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/04/24 Full Review William L There is a lot to like about this Patricio Guzmán documentary - sharp visuals, a sincere tragedy to document, and an interesting premise (the parallels between those that search the past for cosmic truth and those that do so for personal closure). Nostalgia for the Light captures the tragedy of the Chilean identity of recent decades well (or at least it seems so looking from the outside in), as wounds remain raw while many wish to sweep yesterday's injustices under the rug. To those that resonate with the experiences of the film's subjects, it seems to strike a particularly powerful and melanchlolic chord. But as soon as a documentary begins to talk about the vast unknown of the universe with nothing beyond how we should marvel at how vast and unknown it is, I immediately check out. You can plug and play sentiments like that into any serious documentary, and they can be made to mean anything; it feels like listening to your college buddies getting high in your living room and spouting off whatever seems 'impactful'. And sadly, Guzmán opened the film with that. Those sections are nicely shot, but I realized it wasn't to my tastes from then on; still, very tastefully done with respect to the 'disappeared' dissidents, their families, and those left to pick up the pieces. Comes together later in the runtime. (2.5/5) Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/10/22 Full Review Audience Member tout simplement sublime..! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Intermingling of stories, science, life, human nature, sadness and truth. How fragile the fabric of human culture is and the realization of how easy it is for it to break down. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Patricio Guzmán has woven a beautiful documentary from the personal quests of Chilean people seeking to locate the remains of their loved ones in the desert where dictator Augusto Pincoche banished them. These themes work perfectly against the backdrop of man's quest for the stars and the high visibility of the night sky from this perspective. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member At its worst this is a tedious attempt to stretch a tendentious link between astronomy and the disappeared of Chile. At it's best it is a great reminder of the vastness of the universe and how we are all products of the universe's component parts. Has a powerful ability to remind you of dust to dust. It also acts as a great testament to the memory of the disappeared and the sheer terror and wickedness of the Pinochet regime. My rating is a bit harsh maybe but it felt drawn out and boring for too much of the film. Could have wiped half an hour from this documentary without losing too much. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Nostalgia for the Light

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Movie Info

Synopsis In Chile's Atacama Desert, widows search for the bones of loved ones, left by Pinochet's atrocities.
Director
Patricio Guzmán
Producer
Meike Martens, Renate Sachse
Screenwriter
Patricio Guzmán
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
Spanish
Release Date (Streaming)
May 10, 2016
Runtime
1h 30m
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