The Pearl Button

Beginning with a single drop of water, Patricio Guzmán unfolds a sweeping meditation on Chile’s oceans, Indigenous peoples, and the enduring violence of dictatorship. Water becomes both witness and memory, connecting the genocide of the Kawésqar and Selk’nam peoples with the victims of Pinochet’s regime. Moving effortlessly between astronomy, anthropology, and political history, the film reveals a continent whose landscapes refuse to forget.

This edition of Cinemaissí is dedicated to the life and work of Patricio Guzmán (1941–2026), whose ethical vision and poetic sensibility are deeply needed in today’s geopolitical context.