The Cordillera of Dreams

Review by Marina Ashioti

Directed by

Patricio Guzmán

Starring

Anticipation.

Guzmán’s follow-up to the amazing Nostalgia for the Light and The Pearl Button

Enjoyment.

Laconically-paced cinematic beauty.

In Retrospect.

This affecting lithograph of Chile culminates in the intersection of personal, political and poetic.

Master filmmaker Patricio Guzmán turns his gaze to the enigmatic Andean mountain range as he examines the troubled histories of Chile.

Patricio Guzmán’s introspective narration lingers over drone-mapped footage of the Andes, one of the world’s longest cordilleras (mountain ranges) as the shadow of their tectonic physicality envelops Santiago, Chile’s capital city. We’re told that if Santiago’s cobblestone streets – forged out of rocks from the cordillera – could speak, “they would speak of the blood that ran over them”, as the spectre of Augusto Pinochet’s 17-year long military dictatorship haunts Chilean polity and society.

Poeticism segues into cutting political analysis as the end of Pinochet’s dictatorship led Chile to become the first testing grounds for a forceful implementation of neoliberal economic policy. The introduction of Santiago filmmaker Pablo Salas – who, unlike Guzmán and many of his exiled contemporaries, stayed in Chile during the dictatorship – provides an astute digression into Chilean political memory.

His vast archive of tapes bore active witness to the darkest chapter of the country’s recent history, simultaneously immortalising the people’s spirited resistance. Guzmán wistfully laments his long absence from his homeland and the circumstances that led him to flee, imbuing his reflections with a tangible sense of mourning. The cordillera’s essence is the “material of dreams”, but as Chile’s soul is sick with the ills of neoliberalism, dreams of futures that defy market profitability must result in nightmares.

Little White Lies is committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them.

By becoming a member you can support our independent journalism and receive exclusive essays, prints, monthly film recommendations and more.

Published 4 Oct 2022

Tags: Patricio Guzmán

Anticipation.

Guzmán’s follow-up to the amazing Nostalgia for the Light and The Pearl Button

Enjoyment.

Laconically-paced cinematic beauty.

In Retrospect.

This affecting lithograph of Chile culminates in the intersection of personal, political and poetic.

Little White Lies Logo

About Little White Lies

Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them. Combining cutting-edge design, illustration and journalism, we’ve been described as being “at the vanguard of the independent publishing movement.” Our reviews feature a unique tripartite ranking system that captures the different aspects of the movie-going experience. We believe in Truth & Movies.

Editorial

Design