High atop the Atacama desert plateau, astronomers peer into the heavens observing phenomena that took place millions of years ago from distant stars while elderly women search the desert for the remains of their kin, "disappeared" under Pinochet's ruthless dictatorship. Both the astronomers and the body searchers deal in a world of memory. Director Patricio Guzmán explores modern Chile's collective memory loss against these intermingled stories, in this beautifully executed documentary. The only place on earth with zero humidity, ancient mummies and dissidents alike are preserved for eternity. At one point, the camera pans an abandoned shack for miners, spooons rattling in the wind, recalling scenes from Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West.
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