Zurita, You Will See Not to See, translated from its original title of the production, Zurita, Verás No Ver, is a touching and candid story of Raul Zurita, seen and heard through the direction of Alejandra Carmona Cannobbio. The documentary follows Raul Zurita on tour, mainly in the north of Chile, as the poet recounts events in his life and how they impacted his work. The film is a chronological account of Zurita’s passage from his childhood, youth, the darkest moments of his life during the dark days of military dictatorship in Chine, and his current life.
After President Salvador Allende’s alleged suicide and the Palacio de La Moneda bombing, Raul understood that Chile’s future would be dark. He was imprisoned in “Maipo,” a vessel where he could barely watch the sunlight for more than twenty days, and was tortured all through. At least he didn’t disappear like most of his friends and partner artists who were detained and never seen again.
On September 11, 1973, Raul Zurita penned down his first poem, and he has been writing ever since. He is the winner of the 2000 National Prize for Literature, an acknowledgment of Zurita’s artistic expressions and poetic recitals about the happenings inside and outside his country. While Zurita, You Will See Not to See portrays and pays tribute to the poet and his extraordinary work, it also mirrors the history of the Latin American nations.
The film covers the poet and the Chilean geography is explored through panoramic views. Zurita says he is always close to death, but poetry keeps him sane. The discovery of the 21 bodies in 1990 is the film’s starting point. The bodies were discovered at the port of Pisagua, which Raul used two decades later to project 22 Military Strike phrases on the cliffs.
The poet has had Parkison’s disease for fifteen years before filming the documentary. The film gives the audience a captivating story with the tremendous humility of Zurita. It helps us think about our fragility and how violence affects our lives. Zurita, You Will See Not to See is satisfying and rich in content, and definitely worth watching.
What public library shelves would this title be on?
Zurita, You Will See Not to See addresses the military coup, dictatorship, and political instability in Chile, which also reflects the Latin American crisis in the 20th century. This title should be on the same library shelves as other historical documentaries about Latin America.
What academic subjects would this film be suitable for?
US intervention in Chile and its opposition to Allende facilitated the fall of his government. Zurita, You Will See Not to See, can be used as a reference to the outcome of Allende’s fall after the intervention, making it suitable for subjects dealing with Latin history and how the military affects the people in the area. Political and history professors should consider adding this title to their syllabus.
What type of classroom would this documentary resource be suitable for?
A classroom about political instability, interference by another nation, communism versus capitalism, the Cold War, and socialism could use Zurita, You Will See Not to See to address some of those elements.