Endless Poetry 2017

Alejandro Jodorowsky, now settling into his life in Santiago, Chile, finds himself under immense pressure from his Jewish family to pursue a medical career. However, he boldly rejects their expectations and instead embarks on the path of a poet. Through his unique talent for puppet-making, he forges a connection with a man who generously offers him a studio, which becomes his first true home. In this vibrant new world, Alejandro mingles with an array of talented figures, both renowned and aspiring, including the renowned poet Nicanor Parra. Their relationship takes a turn when a misunderstanding regarding Stella Díaz Varín—the muse behind his poem “The Viper”—leads Alejandro to insult Parra.

Amidst all this, Alejandro’s close companion, Enrique Lihn, finds himself in a tumultuous relationship. After a heated argument with his girlfriend, it is Alejandro who intervenes during a moment of crisis to save her from a suicide attempt. Their encounter leads to an unexpected romance, resulting in her pregnancy. An elderly former circus performer, who once worked alongside Alejandro’s father, encourages him to reconnect with the circus—a world he embraces to laugh away his sorrows. Fortunately, Alejandro and Enrique manage to reconcile their friendship after this chaos.

Tragedy strikes when Alejandro’s parents inform him that their house has been destroyed in a fire, taking with it all his childhood mementos and cherished writings. Heartbroken, he visits the remnants of his home, taking a moment to bid farewell to his past and ponder over the person he wants to become. Seeking wisdom, he approaches Nicanor Parra at an engineering school where Parra teaches mathematics, hoping for guidance about his future. However, Parra advises against pursuing poetry, a suggestion Alejandro resolutely dismisses as he chooses to follow his own heart.

As political tides shift in Chile with rising pro-Ibáñez sentiment during his second term, Alejandro sees a new adventure on the horizon—he decides to flee to Paris in an effort to “save surrealism.” On the brink of his departure at the dock, his father attempts to drag him back into the family store, but Alejandro, in a fierce act of defiance, overcomes his father’s resistance and departs, marking the last time he ever sees him.