Nostalgia por la Muerte

2021, Experimental, 5’
MEX | UK

Nostalgia por la Muerte is a letter of longing for my home in Mexico and its celebration of the dead during Día de Muertos, written while I find myself trapped abroad during the pandemic. With death cases surging high at the end of 2020, I try to find comfort in the ancient Mexican attitude towards death, that contrasts strongly with views held in the Global North.

The film essay is constructed from my personal archive of photographs and early recordings of my grandmother, a farmer who believed firmly in the spirits that visit the living on November 1st and 2nd. I weave together my own feelings of nostalgia, my memories of my grandmother’s stories and Octavio Paz’ writings on the role of celebration and the Mexican psyche.

written, filmed & edited  by Mara Chavez
︎︎︎ vimeo link