Under the carpet
- The San Sebastian Festival is coming to an end, even though it seemed like it was going to stay forever. All the movies have already been released, and the jury has already begun to publicize the palmarés of the awards. Sometimes we agree, sometimes not so much, there is the question of opinion. Perhaps approval and competition were not possible as far as film is concerned. Anyway, I'm impatient to see what's under the red carpet. Perhaps, as in the past, you have to dream of what is sand beneath the stones. Otherwise, last year's dust. He had escaped the Zurriola, for sure.
The Zinemira section has shown the film Kuartk Valley, starring Maider Oleaga and directed by Asier Hormaza. In Kuartango, an Alavese valley of 300 inhabitants, a few years ago the film of western or cowboys was shot. Oier Martínez de Santos and José Luis Murga met in 2005 to fulfill this dream, premiering More than Die in 2014 at the Almería Western Film Festival with two awards. For almost ten years, several citizens were convinced that he would become the character of the film and the project was developed without money or technical equipment. The stage, which represented the cowboy village, was built on a meadow, and lasted for a long time, even after the film ended. Years later, Oleaga announced this initiative.
The film director, John McCarthy, interprets a time full of swings. The images alternate the experiences of the actors, the traces left in the space and fragments of the original film, as well as the new scenarios proposed by Oleaga. In the village, the depth with which the project was hosted is felt and the strength and perseverance with which it was carried out is carved. As for Raccord, some passages had to be filmed again due to the changes in the characters (such as replacing Sheriff with a very different girl from 10 and 14 with a bad actress), and to deal with the technical problems, they acted very clearly, as at home. Finally, through the narrations of the different anecdotes and the staging carried out by the director, the lights and shadows of that stage that the people lived are counted. In addition, Oleaga shows how close the Western filming of the current record can be.
The film Heltzear by Mikel Gurrea has been in the Zabaltegi-Tabakalera section of the Kimuak 2021 catalog. After passing through the Orizzonti section of the Venice Festival, it has premiered at home, with a great expectation. The film is situated in the year 2000, in the context of the Basque conflict. As she writes a letter to her brother, Sara, a 15-year-old escalator, prepares for the biggest promotion of her life. Haizea Osés plays Sara's character and is filmed in 16mm.
The Gurrea film has a great cast and beautiful images, as well as a very strong actor. The frames are gladly chosen, a very special light is obtained and the actions have a great weight in history. The voice-over reads the letter that Sara writes to her brother, telling her workouts and her life, and the images show that life on stage. Sometimes, however, the letter is unbelievable. As the force of the images speaks for itself, neither is the total presence of the word necessary, it is limited to illustration rather than to the power of the image. The life of the climber generates more interest than a new representation of the conflict. The stupendous static movie gets caught in the argument.
