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Vacas
1992
The political and social climate of the Basque country of Spain is constantly in flux, yet the cows of the region are steadfast and calm, observing the unusual changing human culture without reaction. This is one of the themes of Julio Medem's (LOVERS OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE) insightful film about the insecure government and often .. Read more
| Starring | Carmelo Gomez, Emma Suarez, Ana Torrent, Carlos Zabala |
|---|---|
| Director | Julio Medem |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
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Vacas
The political and social climate of the Basque country of Spain is constantly in flux, yet the cows of the region are steadfast and calm, observing the unusual changing human culture without reaction. This is one of the themes of Julio Medem's (LOVERS OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE) insightful film about the insecure government and often frightening living situation in Spain. The film follows the path of one man who in the late 1800s nearly dies during a feud on the family farm. To save himself, he covers his body in the blood of a dead friend and lies still. The film moves forward under the gaze of the cows as the man grows old. He now paints the cows and their calm, emotionless stares. A love affair between his grandson and the granddaughter of his deceased friend begins to spark. The film ends in the Civil War of 1936 when an illegitimate son appears in the old man's life. This 1992 Spanish feature is a powerful work from an underrated figure in world cinema.
| Starring | Carmelo Gomez, Emma Suarez, Ana Torrent, Carlos Zabala, Karra Elejalde |
|---|---|
| Director | Julio Medem |
| Studio | PALISADES TARTAN |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 32 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: Spanish |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 24 Jun 2002 Production year: 1992 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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Translating as Cows and described as a negative comedy (whatever that is), Julio Medem's directorial debut is a difficult film to like. Yet the standard of its imaginative camerawork, its playful shifts from reality to fantasy and the assuredness with which the narrative strands have been woven together have to be admired. Following the sometimes bleak fortunes of two Basque families between the civil wars of 1875 and 1936, the four stories have something of a fairy-tale quality and are interesting enough, but the lack of character depth prevents total involvement and the thematic significance often eludes the uninitiated.
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The second Carlist war, 1875. Panicking under fire, Basque woodcutter Irigibel drops to the earth and smears himself... read more on Time Out
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Interesting!
An interesting movie, but many of the references and symbols are lost (or at least less affecting) on those of us less than familiar with the cultural and ideological landscape in which the story is set. This may have been why I couldn't quite care about the characters in this story quite as much as those elsewhere in Spanish cinema, where the context is more familiar.
The movie does have a strange slightly foggy, other-worldy quality that does depict a rural, remote and isolated world very well. With a better understanding of the times in which it's set I might have got more from it. -
News and features
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The Night of the Sunflowers
- 08 May 2007
Hollywood doesn't have a monopoly on the best stories, or the best storytellers - though I wouldn't be surprised if an inferior American remake of this gripping Spanish thriller showed up in a couple of years. Written and directed by debut filmmaker Jorge Sanchez-Cabezudo, The Night of the Sunflowers involves a serial rapist and murderer, cops, revenge, extortion� But what's really compelling about this yarn is the ingenious way it's been put together so we're left in the dark about how Read more
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