JANUARY 5, 2023
FILM: ALCARRAS
STARRING: JORDI PUJOL DOLCET, ANNA OTIN, XENIA ROSET
DIRECTED BY CARLA SIMON
RATING: 3 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
By Dan Pal
At the start of Alcarras, the new film from Spanish director Carla Simon, three children are playing inside an old car imagining that they are flying through space fighting an impending meteor. That metaphor serves as a theme for the film, which won the Golden Berlin Bear Award at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival. It suggests that in time, the play and laughter can be easily taken over by something more powerful. In the case of the larger story at hand, a family’s peach farm will soon be taken over by a corporation aiming to install solar panels in the sun-drenched area.
Throughout the deliberately slow-paced film, there are troubles big and small which effect the various members of this rather large family. In one case, rabbits threaten to overrun the farm and eat away at the peaches. In another, water, not properly damned, soaks the trees. Each of these moments might spell serious issues for the family that already is experiencing impending doom. Yet, what makes Alcarras such an interesting film is its portrait of a very strong family going about its business while only occasionally stopping to view what is happening around them.
Each character is beautifully developed, especially the grandfather who years earlier made a verbal agreement with the owner of the land to remain there indefinitely. Now that the owner has passed, that non-written deed is as good as gone. His son Quimet is extremely hard-working and has to deal with the variety of issues each of his own children brings to the table. His son Roger is secretly growing marijuana. His daughter Mariona would rather be spending time with her friends dressing up and preparing dance numbers. Then there are the youngest children who create private dens to play war and later fight with each other using heads of lettuce.
It’s a true testament to Carla Simon that each character is so well drawn that we feel we know their individual personalities and desires. Yet what really fascinates is how the family, in the face of their various issues, comes together to do all the necessary work to make a living. Each has a specific role in the peach farming process, including the Grandpa’s generation. They squabble and debate while giving their all to the work. While many of them hit their breaking points due to the stress they are living under, we never feel the family itself will break apart. They are truly part of a solid unit.
Alcarras, has a fairly simple plot where not a lot dramatic events happen. The focus is on this family and their interrelationships. There are scenes in discos and town festivals that offer a charge of energy here and there but the main emphasis is always on the family. When the film does hit its climax, it is to fight with big business and its unfair pay for farm goods. I’d have liked to see a bit more attention given to the larger social/political issues but Simon clearly felt the traditional family dynamic working together was stronger to focus on, suggesting that such an institution is in danger of encroachment by outside agencies. Yet sticking together, remaining supportive, playful, and committed may ultimately be the most important lesson and saving grace.
It should also be noted that the cast is almost completely non-professional yet is more than up to the challenges here and provide an excellent natural quality to every scene in which they are featured.
Alcarras is opening this week in limited release, including The Gene Siskel Center in Chicago.
FILM: ALCARRAS
STARRING: JORDI PUJOL DOLCET, ANNA OTIN, XENIA ROSET
DIRECTED BY CARLA SIMON
RATING: 3 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
By Dan Pal
At the start of Alcarras, the new film from Spanish director Carla Simon, three children are playing inside an old car imagining that they are flying through space fighting an impending meteor. That metaphor serves as a theme for the film, which won the Golden Berlin Bear Award at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival. It suggests that in time, the play and laughter can be easily taken over by something more powerful. In the case of the larger story at hand, a family’s peach farm will soon be taken over by a corporation aiming to install solar panels in the sun-drenched area.
Throughout the deliberately slow-paced film, there are troubles big and small which effect the various members of this rather large family. In one case, rabbits threaten to overrun the farm and eat away at the peaches. In another, water, not properly damned, soaks the trees. Each of these moments might spell serious issues for the family that already is experiencing impending doom. Yet, what makes Alcarras such an interesting film is its portrait of a very strong family going about its business while only occasionally stopping to view what is happening around them.
Each character is beautifully developed, especially the grandfather who years earlier made a verbal agreement with the owner of the land to remain there indefinitely. Now that the owner has passed, that non-written deed is as good as gone. His son Quimet is extremely hard-working and has to deal with the variety of issues each of his own children brings to the table. His son Roger is secretly growing marijuana. His daughter Mariona would rather be spending time with her friends dressing up and preparing dance numbers. Then there are the youngest children who create private dens to play war and later fight with each other using heads of lettuce.
It’s a true testament to Carla Simon that each character is so well drawn that we feel we know their individual personalities and desires. Yet what really fascinates is how the family, in the face of their various issues, comes together to do all the necessary work to make a living. Each has a specific role in the peach farming process, including the Grandpa’s generation. They squabble and debate while giving their all to the work. While many of them hit their breaking points due to the stress they are living under, we never feel the family itself will break apart. They are truly part of a solid unit.
Alcarras, has a fairly simple plot where not a lot dramatic events happen. The focus is on this family and their interrelationships. There are scenes in discos and town festivals that offer a charge of energy here and there but the main emphasis is always on the family. When the film does hit its climax, it is to fight with big business and its unfair pay for farm goods. I’d have liked to see a bit more attention given to the larger social/political issues but Simon clearly felt the traditional family dynamic working together was stronger to focus on, suggesting that such an institution is in danger of encroachment by outside agencies. Yet sticking together, remaining supportive, playful, and committed may ultimately be the most important lesson and saving grace.
It should also be noted that the cast is almost completely non-professional yet is more than up to the challenges here and provide an excellent natural quality to every scene in which they are featured.
Alcarras is opening this week in limited release, including The Gene Siskel Center in Chicago.