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NOSTALGIA FOR THE LIGHT (NOSTALGIA DE LA LUZ)Movie Reviews
Spanish language documentary about the conditions in Chile's Altacama Desert which favor astronomy and archaeology, but have also attracted those seeking the remains of loved ones killed under the Pinochet regime. Cast:Gaspar Galaz, Lautaro Nunez, Luis Henriquez, Miguel Lawner, Anita Lawner, Victor Gonzalez, Vicky SaavedraDirector:Patricio GuzmánRelease Date:March 18, 2011DVD Release:September 13, 2011From:Icarus FilmsLength:1 hr 30 min
SEPTEMBER 13, 2011
Nostalgia for the Light (Nostalgia de la luz), Sensational Reviews (Doc) Limited
Nostalgia for the Light (Nostalgia de la luz) played in limited release to sensational reviews. • Stephen Cole wrote in the Toronto Globe & Mail, "...amazing to look at and important to consider." • And John Anderson wrote in the Wall Street Journal, "As a work of nonfiction, it deserves its own nomenclature. 'Docu-poem' is too inelegant; 'masterpiece' works, although it's been used before." More Reviews Below...
Nostalgia for the Light (Nostalgia de la luz) Positive Reviews (20 Reviews, reviews below)
Nostalgia for the Light (Nostalgia de la luz) has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "The film's passionate insistence on remembrance lends it a moral as well as a metaphysical weight. Mr. Guzmán's belief in eternal memory is an astounding leap..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 647 words, 03/18/11
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "A film of rare visual poetry that's simultaneously personal, political and philosophical, it's a genuine art film that's also unpretentious and easygoing."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 04/22/11
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...thoughtfully ponders the celestial and earthbound searches for secrets from the past. Katell Djian's stunning cinematography adds to the film's power."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 184 words, 03/18/11
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...begins as a reverie on the cosmos and expands into an intense meditation on the essence of humanity.... may just be the most profound movie I have ever seen."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 697 words, 01/14/11
Stephen Cole, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...amazing to look at and important to consider. Patricio Guzmán's message is simple: Vision is a gift that must be honoured with study and practice."(See all of Stephen Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 507 words, 01/13/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...as evocative and ambiguous as Kubrick's masterwork, and as a cogent, coherently organized essay film, it puts Godard's facile polemic to shame.... invaluable..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 427 words, 01/13/11
KEY CITIES (5 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...rates as Patricio Guzman's masterpiece, an exquisitely filmed, poetically written meditation on how past and present fuse in humanity's most unresolved questions."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 442 words, 04/22/11
Mark Feeney, Boston Globe: OUTSTANDING(cg) "What starts out as a beautifully depopulated filmic exercise becomes toward the end a nearly unbearable examination of good and bad in the human heart."(See all of Mark Feeney's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 390 words, 06/10/11
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...heartrending and exquisitely beautiful, a tribute to memory as the 'gravitational force' that forever binds and defines us."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 296 words, 05/13/11
Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Chilean filmmaker Patricio Guzmán examines the disciplines astronomy, archaeology and architecture to form a resonant reflection upon the preservation of memory."(See all of Jeff Shannon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 328 words, 04/01/11
Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a visually stunning exploration of time, mortality and political tragedy.... fascinating, innovative and ambitious filmmaking."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 423 words, 08/12/11
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "...poetic -- though overstated... Patricio Guzmán ponders two ways of looking back in time, merging the celestial and sublunary..."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 182 words, 06/09/11
Jesse Cataldo, Slant: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...that rare documentary that's as thrilling as art as it is as reportage, a marvelously shaped thesis that's both disquieting and humbling."(See all of Jesse Cataldo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 616 words, 03/15/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...as evocative and ambiguous as Kubrick's masterwork, and as a cogent, coherently organized essay film, it puts Godard's facile polemic to shame.... invaluable..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 427 words, 01/13/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...profound and lovely... it deserves its own nomenclature. 'Docu-poem' is too inelegant; 'masterpiece' works, although it's been used before."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 348 words, 03/18/11
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "The film's passionate insistence on remembrance lends it a moral as well as a metaphysical weight. Mr. Guzmán's belief in eternal memory is an astounding leap..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 647 words, 03/18/11
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "A film of rare visual poetry that's simultaneously personal, political and philosophical, it's a genuine art film that's also unpretentious and easygoing."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 04/22/11
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: EXCELLENT "...less a conventional documentary than a work of poetic imagination or a nontheistic spiritual meditation. Enormously moving and wondrous to behold..."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 598 words, 03/18/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Boyd Van Hoeij, Daily Variety: EXCELLENT "...often breathtaking... Though the interviewees are filmed without much imagination, the film still contains an indecent number of jaw-dropping visuals..."(See all of Boyd Van Hoeij's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 631 words, 06/14/10
Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter: OUTSTANDING "What comes out of this unlikely comparison between astronomy and history is a totally new perspective, something broader, with glimpses into deeper meanings."(See all of Deborah Young's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 427 words, 10/15/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "A film of rare visual poetry that's simultaneously personal, political and philosophical, it's a genuine art film that's also unpretentious and easygoing."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 04/22/11
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "The film's passionate insistence on remembrance lends it a moral as well as a metaphysical weight. Mr. Guzmán's belief in eternal memory is an astounding leap..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 647 words, 03/18/11
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...profound and lovely... it deserves its own nomenclature. 'Docu-poem' is too inelegant; 'masterpiece' works, although it's been used before."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 348 words, 03/18/11
11.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Nostalgia for the Light (Nostalgia de la luz)'s reviews are separated by an average 11.3 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Nostalgia for the Light (Nostalgia de la luz) (20 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Nostalgia for the Light (Nostalgia de la luz)'s reviews cover 22.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 8,462 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 423 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Nostalgia for the Light (Nostalgia de la luz) Coverage, Volume & Length (20 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 1.9 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Nostalgia for the Light (Nostalgia de la luz)'s reviews on average broke 1.9 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Nostalgia for the Light (Nostalgia de la luz)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Nostalgia for the Light (Nostalgia de la luz) (20 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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