Movies
A peculiar documentary that tries to connect various unrelated things found in a centralized place. It sounds like a stretch, and sadly, it is. Guzmán tries very hard to connect astronomy and Chile's dark past by exploring the Atacama Desert, but his poetic associations lack substance. It's a shame because the presentation is rather neat. The slow-paced cinematography and the moody score make for an atmospheric documentary. It's the interviews and the poorly connected subject matter that detracts from the experience. The interview with astronomer Gaspar Galaz, in particular, irked me. An abundance of new age quotes sit badly with the gruesome history of Chile that many are trying to forget. The only tangible link between these themes is the Atacama Desert, but putting everything in a single documentary makes little sense. A failed experiment, but not without its moments.Read all
The Battle of Chile: Part I
The first part in a trilogy of films documenting the revolution against the government of Allende. I can't say I was aware of the events in this documentary, South-America is not a continent often covered here in Belgium, so from that angle the documentary was certainly pretty informative. When Allende seizes power, he does so with a minority vote. His efforts to reform the country are met with great resistance, so much in fact that foreign countries mingle in the Chilean affairs when he tries to nationalize industries. This first part documents the rising unrest and the tilt to violence. There are a few too many street interviews, other than that it's a pretty dry but clear and factual documentary, that relies on actual footage rather than talking heads. I wasn't bored, but it is little more than a history lesson with a shocker ending. I'm not too sure how it earned its status, but it's decent.Read all