Cielo

Enter a wondrous exploration of the meeting of heaven and Earth in this dynamic exchange between humans and the starry skies above Chile’s Atacama Desert and Andes Mountains. Spectacular photography by cinematographer Benjamin Echazarreta brings us into an upward gaze as if we, too, are there, soaking in the beauty. Filmmaker Alison McAlpine interjects in parts with a poetic narration that contemplates the mysticism of sights above and the significance of people she encounters on the land below. Various portraits emerge: A practical astronomer speculates on how the human priority should be fixing the abundance of problems on Earth; a husband and wife argue about the definition of gravity and whether the Earth is flat; another man matter-of-factly describes his sightings of apparitions he expects have always been part of this world. McAlpine’s inquisitive journey profoundly transcends the typical narrative-driven cinematic story, in a lovely ode to people and the heavens. (Full Frame Documentary Film Festival)