Vacas, 1991
[Cows]
At
the trenches of Biscay in 1875 during the Second Carlist War, an
army sergeant named Carmelo Mendiluze (Kandido Uranga) learns from
a young errand boy named Ilegorri (Ortzi Balda) that a neighbor
named Manuel Iriguibel (Carmelo Gómez) from his native village
has joined their exhausted battalion. Eager for news of his child's
birth, Carmelo befriends the inexperienced soldier whose reputation
as an expert aizcolari (competition log cutter) cannot conceal
his apprehension and fear of armed combat. Manuel's paralyzing timidity
results in tragic consequences that is exacerbated by a subsequent
ignominious act by Manuel in an attempt to be transported away from
the front lines and evade military duty. Thirty years later, in
the town of Guipuzcoa, a lingering animosity has continued between
the Mendiluze and Iriguibel families. Miguel's grown son Ignacio
(Carmelo Gómez) and the Carmelo's son Juan (Kandido Uranga)
have maintained family traditions by honing their skills as aizcolari.
Despite the strained relations between the neighbors, the destinies
of the two families seem fatefully interconnected, as a close childhood
friendship develops between Juan's younger brother, Peru (Miguel
Ángel García) and Ignacio's sister, Cristina (Ana
Sánchez). Similarly, Juan's sister, Catalina (Ana Torrent),
cannot conceal her romantic interest for Ignacio as she furtively
watches him practice cutting logs in the woods - an attraction that
proves to be mutual through Ignacio's playful attempts to catch
her already piqued attention. In an attempt to capitalize from the
rivalry between the two families, Ilegorri (Karra Elejalde), now
a grown man, arranges a waged competition between the two men and
soon, Ignacio's career as an aizcolari contender is launched.
Invariably, Ignacio's travels to national competitions lead to fame
and success, and consequently, prolonged separation from his family
and his beloved Catalina. But as the vanquished Juan becomes increasingly
obsessed and delusional with thoughts of vengeance, can love transcend
the bounds of familial obligation?
Julio Medem creates an intelligently crafted, visually exhilarating,
and symbolically rich examination of love, duty, and nationalism
in Vacas. The title of the film refers
to the passive omnipresence of cows, and also serves as a contrasted
allusion to the national tradition of bullfighting. Using the repeated
perspective of a spectator (shot through a simulated circular diopter,
Medem provides an objective chronicle that captures the incongruous
coexistence of peace and violence, friendship and betrayal, tranquility
and chaos. Correlating the Mendiluze and Iriguibel family rivalry
to span pivotal events in Spanish history, Medem further illustrates
the cyclical nature of the unresolved strife and vacillating alliance
by using the same actor to portray generations of characters, even
those from opposing families. Note the actor Carmelo Gómez's
transformation from the cowardly Manuel Iriguibel in the Carlist
Wars, to Manuel's son Ignacio in 1905, and eventually, to the matured
photographer, Peru Mendiluze, who returns the Basque region at the
onset of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. As the film follows the
odd union of the Basque soldiers with the monarchists and the Catholic
Church during the Carlist Wars, to the unusual alliance with the
socialists and communists for the preservation of the republic against
the fascist forces led by Franco during the Spanish Civil War, Medem
presents an impartial, yet deeply personal and thought provoking
account of the continued devastation, nationalism, and inconstant
allegiance of the Basque people, as they struggle for the seemingly
elusive causes of autonomy, self-determination, and cultural identity.
© Acquarello 2002. All rights reserved.
On
an empty stretch of highway, a despondent musician named Jota (Nancho
Novo) stares out into the sea, trying to gather enough courage to
jump. He is distracted from his suicidal thoughts by the sight of
a speeding motorcyclist (Emma Suarez) who has crashed through the
railing and landed on the shore. Jota comes to her aid and finds that,
although physically unhurt, the woman is badly disoriented and shaken.
The young woman is unable to recall anything about herself, and Jota
cannot find any clues that lead to her real identity. When the paramedics
arrive and mistakenly identify Jota as a passenger on the motorcycle,
he seizes the opportunity to invent a long-term relationship with
her. Calling the amnesiac woman Lisa after his former girlfriend and
bandmate, Jota attempts to convince her of their shared, idle life
in a beach-front apartment. But soon, Jota's deception proves to be
in jeopardy when Lisa begins to identify the physical characteristics
of a man on a memory test photograph as that of Felix (Carmelo Gomez).
Fearing the restoration of her memory through psychological tests,
Jota smuggles Lisa out of the hospital and takes her to a remote campground
on the pretense of facilitating her "memory exercises", attempting
to reinforce his idealized image of her as his lover. However, as
fragments of Lisa's true identity begin to surface, and a determined,
obsessed stranger continues to search for her, Jota's unattainable
illusion gradually unravels.
The
paths of Otto and Ana literally cross as children: Ana (Sara Valiente),
running away from the news of her father's death; Otto (Peru Medem),
running after a soccer ball. They are captivated by each other, but
leave without saying a word. One day, Otto learns that his parents
are divorcing, and to prove his devotion to his mother (Beate Jensen),
he chooses to stay with her. In school, he begins to write notes on
the nature of love, a question that has plagued him since his parents'
divorce, and folds the notes into paper airplanes to send into the
school yard. Ana retrieves one of the notes and shows it to her mother,
Olga (Maru Valdivielso), who is intrigued by the emotional maturity
of the message. Ana points to the nearest adult, Otto's father, Alvaro
(Nancho Novo), as the author. On a rainy afternoon, Otto waits for
Ana in the school yard with a specific introduction in mind: he would
say that his name is a palindrome, that it is spelled the same way
backwards and forwards, and that somehow, this revelation would endear
him to her. But she does not appear. He opens the door to his father's
car...and Ana is there. He begins to recite his rehearsed speech,
but she interrupts. Her name is a palindrome too. Soon, Alvaro and
Olga become involved, and the two children grow up as step siblings.
Ana sees her father's soul reflected in Otto's eyes, and their profound
connection makes them inseparable. But their love for each other proves
more permanent than their parents' relationship. Now a young man,
Otto (Fele Martinez), decides to move in with his father to be closer
to Ana (Najwa Nirmi), and a tragedy results from his actions. Racked
with guilt, Otto runs away from home. After a failed relationship,
Ana also runs away, and moves to a remote cabin in Finland that straddles
the Arctic Circle to await the "coincidence" of her life.