Compelling… My Imaginary Country directed by Patricio Guzman [New Wave Films]

MY IMAGINARY COUNTRY
Directed by Patricio Guzman
Certificate: 12a
☆☆☆☆☆

PUTTING up train fares by 30 pesos was the flashpoint that ignited the Chilean people’s uprising of 2019 – and the story of how the popular protests that swept across the country brought change could only be told by one filmmaker – Patricio Guzman.

This stunning film fits naturally into Guzman’s previous works: his 2010 film, Nostalgia For The Light, told the stories of political prisoners locked up after General Pinochet murdered the democratically elected Salvador Allende and the military junta took over the country in 1973 (and kept control with the help of our own Thatcher government).

And in the year the 2019 protests broke out, which eventually toppled the government, he released The Cordillera of Dreams, a humanist take on Chile’s past and the ancient geology that our existence plays out on.

My Imaginary Country is made up of interviews of those who took part in the protests. He speaks predominantly to women – women of all ages who eloquently explain the state of Chilean society, the challenges people face every day, and how despite the demise of the Pinochet regime, a new brutalism through rampant asset stripping and exploitative capitalism has created a country of extremes.

The people of Santiago have grown up with a strong political legacy, and hearing these women tell the stories of their lives, you gain an understanding of the relationship between the people and power, and the impact policies have at ground level. Hidden among the incredible footage of the protests, we learn of a societal breakdown that has hit families and particularly affected women, with over 50 per cent of children lacking a male figure in the household who earns a living.

Though Pinochet’s vicious regime fell – finally – in 1990, Chile lives with the after effects. The suspicion of those who were complicit – the rich who filled their boots and continue to do so – wraps around current discourse. A country that has suffered so much has yet to see justice done, Guzman offers the perfect vehicle to explain in straight-up terms. His two previous political documentaries have a natural lyricism about them. He draws on themes of the vastness of time and space to belittle the tinpot generals living their lives to the detriment of others.

My Imaginary Country is less whimsical, more urgent, and just as compelling.

Every student of political history needs to watch this film.