Alamar
Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space Thalia Film Sundays |
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2009. Pedro González-Rubio. Mexico. 73 min. Color. Narrative. Jorge Machado, Roberta Palombini, Natan Machado Palombini
Rotterdam International Film Festival: Tiger Award
San Francisco International Film Festival: New Director’s Prize
Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Indepiendente: Best Film
Morelia International Film Festival: Audience Award; Competition Award
Miami International Film Festival: Best Ibero-American Film
“Luminous. Elegantly photographed.”- StephenHolden,The New York Times
“Hypnotic” - J Hoberman, Village Voice
“Outstanding!”- Maria Garcia, Film Journal
“Lovely!” - BileElbiri, NYMagazine
“Poignant andvitalizing … paradise temporarily gained.” - Dennis Lim, ArtForum
“Gorgeous!” - VAMusetto, New YorkPost
“Powerful!” - Alison Willmore, IFC
“Sublime!” - Keith Uhlich,TimeOut NewYork
"Soulful" - Jay Weissberg, Variety
“Exquisite andheavenly! An idyll--so seductively lulling, soenjoyable.” - StanleyKauffman, The New Republic
Pedro González-Rubio is a Mexican filmmaker born in Brussels. His initiation to visual arts came at the age of 16 while living in New Delhi. He studied media in Mexico before attending the London Film School. He worked as a cinematographer on the film BORN WITHOUT (2007) by Eva Norvind. His directorial debut, TORO NEGRO (2005, co-director), received several awards including the Horizontes Award for best Latin American film from the San Sebastian Film Festival. ALAMAR is his feature film debut, which nonetheless remains true to real life.
Director’s Statement
Six years ago I moved to Playa del Carmen, probably driven by my childhood experience. Many things had changed, what once used to be a fishermen’s village now was the epicenter to the fastest growing urbanization in Mexico. At this tourist oriented development area, I’ve witnessed the lack of environmental awareness, the destruction of an extensive coral reef to make a long dock for cruise ships, the destruction of hectares of mangrove along the coastline to build big chain hotels, polluting the sea with sewage water, hence affecting the whole ecosystem of the area and pushing many of its species to an ill-fated future.
Banco Chinchorro, the main location where the documentary takes place, was declared in 1996 a Natural Reserve of the Biosphere by UNESCO, and serious efforts are being made to make it a World Heritage Site. It is home to thousands of different species and the biggest coral reef extension in our country.
By photographing and developing a story based on the current relation between man and his habitat in Chinchorro, I intend to portray my love for this region and the admiration and respect I have towards the lives of its fishermen.
I didn’t want to make a distant or intellectual approach in this film. What I wanted to achieve was a visual experience that could trigger emotions of empathy with the characters. During the time of research, I was working on a story based on a father and son relationship. Alamar was inspired by the simplicity of happiness.
The day to day activities at Chinchorro and the interaction with Matraca, the old fisherman, resulted in a perfect experience for Natan to learn about an ancestral interaction between man and nature. He is a child who moves between both worlds, the one of an austere life while spending time with his dad, and one in the urban society along with his mother. One reality is not better than the other, they are simply different and the child is able to be himself in both, free from any preconception or judgment. I tried to focus on the boy’s point of view, to accomplish a pure feeling in every way.
The main location embraced the characters naturally as if they belonged there, in a timeless sense to the environment. But the idea of impermanence is present in the characters’ reality from the very first moments of the story until the last frame. The father’s decision is to go back to his origins in order to teach his son the true values in life.
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