“In his previous film Nostalgia for the Light, Patricio Guzmán overlaid the ongoing search for the regime's victims with a contemplation of the unfathomable mysteries of the cosmos; here, he finds an equally poetic metaphor in another vast universe considerably closer to home. Early in the film, Guzmán notes that, despite the fact that Chile has nearly 4,000 kilometres of coastline, Chileans have very little relationship with the Pacific Ocean. Yet at one time, the nomadic Kaweskar (or "Water People") paddled up and down the length of the immense Chilean coast, living in harmony with the ocean that was their life and their livelihood. Now, in the aftermath of the colonial era, there are very few survivors left to tell the story of this once-thriving people. Through interviews with some of the last remaining Kaweskar, Guzmán chronicles the terrible devastation wrought by this almost complete genocide. Not only denouncing his country's colonial past, Guzmán underlines how brutality is a recurring theme in human history, and wonders if there could ever be a reality where the Water People could exist without interference. Combining profound metaphysical speculation with an affecting, intimate approach, The Pearl Button asserts the importance of memory in a world very quick to forget.” —Toronto International Film Festival
THE PEARL BUTTON / EL BOTÓN DE NÁCAR
A film by Patricio Guzmán
(Chile/France/Spain, 2014, 88 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Now streaming on YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, Apple TV, Vudu, and OVID
Watch the trailer:
