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Poster for The Pearl Button

The Pearl Button

Seen it?

2015 | 82 min | Documentary

Saturday Specialearly rating

Why it’s a Saturday Special

Critics loved it (94% on Rotten Tomatoes), despite almost no lasting buzz. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
One for anyone who loves a story about hope against the odds and politics junkies. The walls close in, and so does the tension. Power and ambition drive every scene.
The mood
Harrowing, eye-opening.
The pace
Well paced for a documentary, at 1 hr 22 min. An easy one to fit in on a school night.
What might put you off
  • It's in Spanish, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
  • Skip it if you want made-up drama tonight.

The ocean contains the history of all humanity. The sea holds all the voices of the earth and those that come from outer space. Water receives impetus from the stars and transmits it to living creatures. Water, the longest border in Chile, also holds the secret of two mysterious buttons which were found on its ocean floor. Chile, with its 2,670 miles of coastline and the largest archipelago in the world, presents a supernatural landscape. In it are volcanoes, mountains and glaciers. In it are the voices of the Patagonian Indigenous people, the first English sailors and also those of its political prisoners. Some say that water has memory. This film shows that it also has a voice.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 80 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsBelow par

    Won 1 Berlin award: Silver Bear for Best Screenplay. Plus 2 other awards.

  • Reach & staying powerBelow par

    Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 7K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Patricio Guzmán

  • Patricio GuzmánNarrator (voice)
  • Martín G. CalderónSelf
  • Gabriela PateritoSelf
  • Gabriel SalazarSelf
  • Claudio MercadoSelf
  • Raúl ZuritaSelf
  • Cristina CalderónSelf
  • Adil BrkovicSelf
  • Javier RebolledoSelf
  • Juan MolinaSelf