Nostalgia for the Light (2010) review

Simple, pensive examination by Chilean filmmaker Guzmán of both outer space and the earth, of gazing upwards into the cosmos for signs of humanity's past (in the stars) and digging in the ground for the dead, exterminated by Augusto Pinochet's forces and buried in the Atacama Desert. There are interviews with both astronomers and anthropologists, not to mention some incredibly crisp pictures of various cosmic entities and gorgeous shots of the desert itself, but the end result is far more poetic than literal. Reminds me, in some ways, of Chris Marker's political essays, and though it doesn't hurt to be familiar with Chile's troubled history, full knowledge isn't required to follow along. Remember: there is really no such thing as "the present"....