Ep 15. Nostalgia for Light
- October 25, 2012
In POV season 25 episode 15, titled Nostalgia for Light, audiences are taken on a journey through Chile's Atacama Desert, where astronomers search the skies for answers to the origins of the universe, and women sift through the sand for the remains of loved ones who disappeared during the Pinochet dictatorship.
The episode reveals the stark contrasts between the night sky and the earth below, both of which are deeply connected to the past. The astronomers are searching for the oldest light in the universe, hoping to understand the origins of humanity, while the women in the desert are searching for the remains of loved ones, hoping for closure and justice.
Director Patricio Guzman masterfully weaves together the stories of the astronomers and the women in the desert, showcasing the beauty and fragility of life. He juxtaposes the infinite vastness of the universe with the finite losses of the women who suffered under the dictatorship.
The astronomers speak of the enormity of the universe, pointing out constellations and galaxies that are billions of years old. They're searching for clues about how everything began, how life on Earth started, and what might happen in the future. Guzman uses their quest for knowledge to underscore the idea that humans are just small specks in the grand scheme of things; that our lives are but a fleeting moment in a much bigger timeline.
Meanwhile, the women sift through the ashes and sand of the desert, hoping to find any evidence of their missing loved ones. They talk about the struggle to hold onto memories, which are all they have left. They convey the pain of not knowing what happened to their family members, of never having closure. Guzman skillfully shows how their search is a kind of meditation on the passage of time, and how memory can be both comforting and painful.
Throughout the episode, the history and geography of Chile serve as an important background. Chile has long been a place of political and social turmoil, with a history of violence and oppression. September 11, 1973, was a violent coup by the military that overthrew President Allende and installed the brutal dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. The episode shows how the women in the desert are still living with the consequences of the regime, as they continue to look for their missing loved ones many years after the fact.
Guzman uses the idea of nostalgia to tie the various threads of the episode together. Nostalgia for a lost loved one, nostalgia for a time when the sky was clear and free of pollution, and nostalgia for a past that may never have existed. The astronomers talk about how they feel a sense of nostalgia when they look at the sky, and how that nostalgia is a way of connecting with the past.
The film is a meditation on time, memory, and loss. Guzman expertly captures the epic scale of the universe and the intimate pain of those searching for lost loved ones. His use of stunning imagery, including soaring shots of the desert and the universe, is truly breathtaking. Nostalgia for Light is a deeply moving and thought-provoking film that will stay with viewers long after it ends.
