The Cordillera of Dreams

I went into last night's screening of "The Cordillera of Dreams" hoping to learn about Chile - its people, geography and history. Sadly what I endured was a sequence of monologues from various artists speaking vaguely about the mountainous backdrop to Santiago along with a history lesson on Pinochet's military junta.

Don't get me wrong. There were plenty of atmospheric shots of the mountains and my eyes were opened to the murderous regime that overtook the country in 1973. There's no doubt that the authorities repressed, tortured and killed thousands of people who stood against the military coup. However footage of demonstrations does not, by itself, make for a compelling documentary.