Alcarràs

This film, though a tad overlong, stayed with me for a long time afterwards.and left me feeling very sad.

A family have a Gentleman's Agreement broken when the Landowner's Son inherits and wants to turn the use of the land from from Peach Trees to Solar Panels.

Fantastic detail on the farming and family set-ups and also showing the effect on the extended family as the threat grows...

Very much a film for our times, t is still unclear where our food comes from when the land is covered in Solar Panels and Wind Farms.

Surely It can only mean higher prices or more food imports that only the Rich Countries will be able to afford.

What a beautiful film! The choice to use non-actors was brilliant, as this film feels entirely real and true. I was absolutely engrossed by this simple story filled with immense complexity, dealing with family politics, gender, the working class, tradition, the encroachment of the new, among many others. Beautifully shot as well, the film had many frames that looked like paintings. Beautiful and quietly devastating, yet hopeful. 9/10.

This movie is so much more than just a "Spanish family drama". Between somewhere warm, welcoming and cold, harsh and melancholic. The family perfectly portrays the generational changes and different problems through a persons lifetime. Also seemingly stands tall against globalisation and "greenwashing". The solar panels in my reading represent the end of the era of human labour, and also points out the flaws of the new green movements.

I could go on for hours about the minor details, but let me conclude my thoughts in one simple sentence: A complete masterpiece that has its own flaws and unique features.

Considering that this is the second movie of Carla Simòn, I can assume that she will get even better at directing.

Whatever happens, I'll keep my eyes on her work from now on!

Reallistic depiction of rural life that shows both the heartwarming and the harsh living conditions of farmers. Weren't it actually scripted, it would have totally worked as a documentary piece.

The movie can get long at times. It seems to lose focus and detour from the main plot at times, bringing smaller scenes, that help you empathise with the family, but contribute few or nothing to the actual development of the story.

The movie brings some food for thought as you see a way of life that is threatened by modern technology, and the push from the rural life to urban life.

The work of the non professional actors is excellent, and shows how much effort was put in making this film work and strive for excellence.

While the movie is a few steps away from being a masterpiece, it is still a mandatory watch.

The only positives were the amazing performances of children, teenagers, and the very old in the film. It deserved an acting ensemble prize at best. Carla Simon deserves praise for extracting realistic performances. Little else. The script was predictable on change in values that are influenced by pecuniary factors. The crane removing an old car which later removes fruit trees was too contrived for the script. Was it, as the ultimate Golden Bear winner, more deserving than the Grand Prize of the Jury winner, from Korea, Hong Sang Soo's film "The Novelist's Film"? I don't think so. M. Night Shyamalan and his jury that he headed got it wrong, in my view.