WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
WATCH THE FILM HERE with all proceeds going to the filmmakers!
First, the Recap:
Burning aspiration, self-serving objectives, and cunning calculation. Three potential facets of the human condition when it comes to seeking improvement of one’s life circumstances. While it would be more advantageous to pursue said goals with a much less dissolute means, it is an unfortunate truth that even WITH the best of intentions, so many choices can ultimately serve only ourselves, and at the cost of others. Contained within the far-reaching expanse of the Atacama Desert, three lives are about to intersect–a miner (German Silva) whose daydreams and unsettled mind breed only misery, a city slicker (Luciano Farias) arriving to find closure from a less than ideal childhood and its demons, and an astronomer (Maria Jesus Foix) whose passion to be a discoverer is only dampened by those around her who don’t believe in her professional viability. However, their paths may or may not be ones that lead to anything but their own destruction.
Next, my Mind:
A definitively dark narrative that potently explores the equally shadowy side of human ambition, soul-staining pain, and overwhelming desperation to see life be what it might have been but never manifested, this 70-minute feature film from co-writer/director/producer/co-editor Enrique R. Bencomo and co-writer/executive producer/co-editor Fernando R. Bencomo, screened at the 2020 Berlin Revolution Film Festival, creates an atmosphere of gripping, slowly building tension as its story sees the colliding of three decidedly different souls in the barren wastelands of Chile’s Atacama Desert.
It’s the intensity that simmers beneath the surface for each of the primary individuals the film focuses on that aids in providing that growing turbulence as they each come into the grander scenario highly damaged by factors in their realities which continue to weight them down, causing deepening friction, and initially having no true outlet to let it explode. But, as the take unfolds and the events take place that bring them all together, we’re treated to that tipping point that is revealed thanks to one particular moment that will end up redefining all of their collective fates and culminates in a finale that is, to say the least, one palpably affecting, unnerving endgame.
Additionally, the film does an excellent job with a couple of the characters in showcasing a possibility of hope in the midst of all the internal instability being illustrated, and I felt that really made how things ultimately end up that much more impactful and meaningful, even if the moral of the story as a whole carries quite a bit of heavier connotations and sobering actualities about people than we might even wish to admit. It almost carries a dark humor to it, a disquieting shock value as well, and honestly, I’d like to believe it will initiate a pondering of who we are as people, especially in these current times of questioning and anxiousness.
Visually, the effort is gorgeously shot, with undeniably strong images of the sheer vastness of an unforgiving landscape that the Atacama Desert is and putting in perspective the harshness of conditions it offers to any who attempt to work, much less live, in its dry, hot, wind-swept grasp. But again, there’s a beauty to it that really feeds into the overall pathos of the narrative’s intent, really becoming a character unto itself. What I must believe were drone shots also makes a multitude of moments that embrace the Atacama so magnificently awe-inspiring while likewise presenting the intimidating backdrop for everything we see occur.
Silva totally shines in his role as the miner, a world-weary, broken, tattered man whose seems to be respected by none and often the target for everyone’s disdain. Due to this, his inward mental state and ideas floating around in a shattered conscious are anything but stable, and his outlook to just try and survive by any and all means necessary are illustrated with startling dominance and a forceful potency, especially more so as the character doesn’t speak, but lets his actions and expressions say all there is to say, which again is definitely disconcerting. It’s a masterful performance throughout by Silva and he bears the emotional volatility of the character beautifully.
Farias also brings a tangibly impassioned performance to the table as the city slicker, a man who seems well out of his element coming from the successful city life he’s become accustomed to, though we find his past in the Atacama was less than ideal. Putting affairs in order while trying to encounter solace and finally bring conclusion to his own inward strife, he unexpectedly finds a newfound engagement with another what would seem to have things looking up. However, whether it actually works to his benefit is yet to be determined, and the character’s journey is anything but easy. It’s a more understated then eruptive state, and Farias does perfectly to bring it to life.
Foix rounds out the trio in her role as the astronomer, a young, vibrant, and certainly ambitious woman who seems to be on the cusp of a cosmic discovery that would help shape the astronomical community she relishes and treasures, yet no one seems to take her seriously, much to her dismay and ongoing frustration. With new real friends and unfulfilled professional satisfaction, a series of events happens that makes everything she’s strived for look on the up and up, even though it still shows her own need for acknowledgement could still spell disaster. It’s a formidable and likewise understated delivery that makes it work so well, a credit to Foix’s acting skills.
A primary supporting role arrives from Jose Miguel Ceardi as Luis, a pivotal player in the events and another representation of the shattered lives who find their ways crossing and the consequences as such. It’s a powerful supporting turn, so watch the film to understand and see for yourself. Additional turns come from Marcel Arriagada, Leonor Ossandon, Olofernes Noria Marcilla, and Ari Dukes. In total, “Atacama” is a portrait of human greed and anguished choices during the most strained of times and that even when things might be looking up, our innate desire for self-pleasing is always in danger of taking over, to the potential detriment of ourselves and any others in our path.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
Very nice written