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Alamar

Mexico

2009

73 Min
Color
1.78:1
Italian, Spanish
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
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DIR Pedro González-Rubio

PROD Pedro González-Rubio, Jaime Romandia

SCR Pedro González-Rubio

DP Pedro González-Rubio

CAST Natan Machado Palombini, Jorge Machado, Roberta Palombini, Nestór Marín, Wild Egret

ED Pedro González-Rubio

PROD DES Pedro González-Rubio

SOUND Emmanuel Romero, Rodolfo Romero

Berlinale (Generation), San Francisco (New Directors): New Directors Award, Transilvania (Supernova), Karlovy Vary (Another View), Melbourne (First Encounters), Abu Dhabi (What in the World Are We Doing to Our World?), Edinburgh (Rosebud), Rotterdam (Competition): Tiger Award, BAFICI (International Competition), San Sebastián (Contemporary Mexican Cinema)

Synopsis

The old man and the sea. The young man and his son. Mexican director Pedro González-Rubio’s film is about both of these relationships, but it is also about the harmony that exists between those involved: between people and nature, and father and son.

Natan is five years old. He is the son of a Mexican father and an Italian mother. Before his parents separate for good and Natan moves with his mother to Rome, his father Jorge is determined to instil in his son the essence of his paternal culture. And so the two set off one day by bus from their home in Playa del Carmen and head south, where they board a boat at the harbour. Their destination is Chinchorro reef, which lies thirty kilometres from Majahual. They are both seasick on the crossing and so are very happy when Matraca, an old fisherman, welcomes them onto the reef and puts them up in his little shed. During the days that follow, father and son accompany Matraca on his fishing trips all over the reef in his motor boat. They catch barracuda, snapper and lobster. Natan learns to snorkel and discovers the fascinating world beneath the waves. He also makes friends with a sea bird that flies by. But when the bird disappears a few days later Natan realises that the time has come to part.

Chinchorro reef is one of the largest coral reefs in the world. It has not yet been recognised as a world heritage site. Pedro González-Rubio’s film draws attention to the dangers that now threaten this extraordinary place. —Berlinale

Director

Original

Pedro González-Rubio

Pedro González-Rubio (b. 1976, Brussels) lived till age 16 in India where he developed a talent for anthropological photography. In Mexico he studied at the Universidad Intercontinental, graduating in media and communications; back in Europe, he studied direction at the London Film School. In 2005 he and fellow student Carlos Armella shot their first documentary, Toro negro, which, among other honors, took the Horizontes Award for Best Latin American Film at San Sebastian. Armella also worked on a second documentary with Rubio, Common Ground (La tierra compartida, 2007), which follows the work of Mexican director Alejandro González Iñarritu during the filming of Babel. As a cameraman he worked on Born Without (Nacido sin, 2007), and he served as director of photography and editor for his feature directorial debut, To the Sea, which took a Tiger Award at the Rotterdam festival. —KVIFF 

Wall

Displaying 4 of 23 wall posts.
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Sefer Taslı Sapık

3Aug12

"TU SEI IL MIO PRESENTE"

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Surrealcinema

14Jul12

Uno de las mejores peliculas que he visto. Himno a la existencia, la amo. One of the best films ever! Existence´s anthem, i love it!

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Mataperros

12Jun12

Highly recommended truly evokes friendship, love, & good times between father & son, something very hard to find nowadays because of denial of sensibility of men, in a matriarchy society

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abrahamgbj

18Dec11

Best Mexican film in a long time...

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