Through a stylized, stunningly photographed, almost poetic tale of one woman's search for her missing lover, They Were Nobody deals with the “mysterious” disappearance (murder or imprisonment) of citizens and the wanton oppression by the state currently taking place in Chile. Directed by Sergio Bravo-Ramos, the film was shot on location in an archipelago in the south of Chile; production was completed in France after Bravo-Ramos' self-exile from Chile. In what is indeed a very sad story, Bravo-Ramos replaces much of the melodrama with the stark and disquieting drama provided by the natural environment--a smoldering tree, the colors of the sea, the ritualized activities of local fishermen, and, more than any of these, the impassive face of his lead actress. There is very little dialogue.
Bravo-Ramos, whose previous films have been documentaries, comments: “At the moment, in Chile, nothing is being done for the free development of cinema.... (My) alternatives were to produce conformist films, or to fight to face reality.... It would seem impossible to accept without comment the suffering borne by our national community, which has lost many of our loved ones.... This film is a message of the unflinching faith and sure will of the Chilean woman....” (JB)