The Cordillera of Dreams (12A)
Directed by Patricio Guzman

CHILEAN filmmaker Patricio Guzman, who left Chile almost 50 years ago following Pinochet’s military coup d’etat, continues his examination of his country’s history and soul — this time through the mountain range that surrounds Santiago, his birthplace.

Said “cordillera” loom majestic and proud; a witness, according to Guzman (Battle of Chile), to events under Pinochet’s dictatorship that he believes were hidden from the country’s citizens.

The sweeping shots of the vast ridges are peaceful and calming, providing a stark contrast to the film footage of protesters, both men and women, being viciously manhandled and beaten up by the military and the police before being forcibly arrested and removed.

This film is the last of a trilogy that includes Nostalgia for the Light and The Pearl Button, in which Guzman explored the north and south of his homeland.

This, though, is a haunting documentary of two halves.

The first examines the snow-covered cordillera, whose gorgeous aerial vistas are accompanied by Guzman’s reflective narration as he contemplates his life as an exile and his conflicted relationship with his country, while pondering his theory on how these mountains take you back in time the deeper you explore them.

The second half of the film pays homage to cameraman Pablo Salas, who stayed in Chile following the Pinochet coup to capture protests and oppression on camera — after 37 years of non-stop filming, he has an extensive film archive.

Yet he states: “We only captured 5 per cent of the atrocities the dictatorship carried out. It tortured, killed, drove people into exile. It used intimidation. None of that was filmed.

”What he did shoot, though, is extremely powerful and damning and a historical account of what he witnessed. It is both disturbing and heartbreaking and a tribute to his fearlessness and bravery in not thinking about his own safety in order to capture the truth and reality of what was transpiring.

As Guzman says: “Thanks to Pablo’s work, they can’t erase history.”
Guzman also explores the lasting economic remnants of the Pinochet regime: an economic system that favours the rich and extorts the poor.

The Cordillera of Dreams is a fascinating documentary: contemplative and dreamlike; passionate and hard-hitting. It shows how, after spending almost 50 years making films about his country, Guzman still has a lot more to say.

MD

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