Oliver Laxe succeeds in taking us right into the inner life of a remote Galician community in this quietly remarkable film.
The close-quarter images of blazing forests feel very relevant to the increasingly serious wildfires around the world. However, we don't know if Amador started the terrible fire that closes the film, with Laxe giving various hints in the direction of both guilt and innocence. The prevailing impression is one of humanity just about co-existing with the powerful forces of nature in an unforgiving landscape, just as Amador's crime has not been forgotten or forgiven.
At the heart of the film is a wonderfully natural performance by Benedicta Sanchez as Amador's mother. Her small, indomitable frame carries her through a hard-scrabble life with humane dignity and presence.
The opening sequence is as amazing as it is puzzling. The woodland is being destroyed, the trees are falling in waves, there is no obvious visual explanation. Could it be the start of some magical surrealist film? The rather mundane reason at the end of the sequence returns the viewer to reality.
The director Laxe takes time over each shot, a gallery of images with space to contemplate each one.
Amador Arias as Amador doesn't have a lot to say, he just observes the world around him. His face a relief map of the surrounding landscape. A wonderful performance from Benedicta Sanchez as his mother. What a life she lives with her three cows. All five mentioned are non-professional actors!