It’s impossible to watch Nayra Ilic García’s Chilean coming-of-age story CUERPO CELESTE without thinking of Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here. Both films bring attention to the atrocities committed by military dictatorships while dealing with a family’s loss and pain.
At the end of 1989, Celeste is a happy 15-year-old spending her summer with her caring parents and love interests when her father suddenly dies, causing her world to turn upside down. Even though she misses her dad and is not in good spirits, the film still incites a yearning for the summers of the youth. In that regard, it is also reminiscent of Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name.
Helen Mrugalski gives a skillfully restrained performance as Celeste. The cinematography by frequent Pablo Larraín collaborator Sergio Armstrong and widescreen compositions of the desert and the beach are breathtaking. The actual footage from the period that is used sporadically throughout reinforces the film’s impact.
The final tracking shot that eventually goes out of focus is a beautiful note to end on. Cuerpo Celeste is deserving of its Jury Award for International Narrative Feature at Tribeca.
