“Violeta Went to Heaven,” September 15, 2014 (2011), DVD, (Spanish with subtitles.) This 2011 biopic from Andres Wood looks at the life and work of Violeta Parra (1917-1967), famed Chilean singer/songwriter/poet/artist/embroiderer whose work was an inspiration to the New Song movement. I don’t usually like this type of film, but I found it engrossing. Francisca Gavilan’s Parra (she does her own singing as well) is brilliant, not beautiful, and a very difficult person. She craves adulation and knows how to push people away very well but is desperate to be beloved. It all ends badly but the film honors her musical and artistic project even as it shows her, warts-and-all (or in this case, pockmarks-and-all). One of the most interesting things for me not knowing her time frame is the intentional timelessness of the film and its ability to portray the conditions of the Chilean working class. Some have criticized the portrayal of the personal aspects of the character, but I found they added a real richness and meaning to the story.