Seeking out the
5000 greatest films
in a century of cinema
The Pearl Button
El botón de nácar
Directed by
Patricio Guzmán
Produced by Renate Sachse
Written by Patricio Guzmán
Produced by Renate Sachse
Written by Patricio Guzmán
With:
Martín Calderón, Cristina, Ema Malig, Gabriela Paterito, Gabriel Salazar Vergara, Raúl Zurita, and the voice of Patricio Guzmán
Cinematography:
Katell Djian
Editing: Patricio Guzmán and Emmanuelle Joly
Music: Hughes Maréchal, Miguel Miranda, and José Miguel Tobar
Editing: Patricio Guzmán and Emmanuelle Joly
Music: Hughes Maréchal, Miguel Miranda, and José Miguel Tobar
Runtime:
82 min
Release Date: 15 October 2015
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1
Color: Color
Release Date: 15 October 2015
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1
Color: Color
Another in Guzmán's series of ruminative documentaries on the landscape and history of his native Chile. The Pearl Button is a fascinating blend of history and imagination. It looks back to the past via interviews with some of the last surviving members of the area's indigenous tribes, tales of the country's various foundings, and the aftermath of the Pinochet regime and into the future with speculation as to what the massive cosmos-scanning radio telescopes in the area might find. All of this centred on the element of water.