The Cordillera of Dreams

Patricio Guzmán's 2019 documentary tells the recent history of Chile through the Andes that cut the country lengthwise. He built it as the last part of a trilogy; the two earlier films took the desert and the ocean as their subjects. Guzmán's method is to use geography as a carrier of memory: the mountains saw everything and say nothing. Its strongest passages are the conversations with Pablo Salas, who has filmed street protests for thirty years; his archive is the documentary spine of the film. Privatisation after the coup and the presence of mining companies in the mountains are criticised directly. The narration is poetic and personal. Who it's for: viewers interested in Chilean history and documentary in essay form. Who it's not for: anyone wanting an objective account of history, or who will find the poetic voice-over excessive.