“A magical realist fable enhanced by stunning images of the natural world, Francisca Alegría’s film explores motherhood, femininity, and the necessity of change in a world where what has been taken for granted for centuries no longer holds sway… Throughout the film there is a focus on the need for healing, for reconnection with each other, and for the restoration of life. Alegria’s work is melancholy and wistful yet never loses its sense of urgency nor its awareness of the potential for change.” – Jennie Kermode, Eye For Film

“Alegría is brilliantly successful in creating a two-toned film. All of the casting is admirable and, despite the surreal framework providing a key element, she ensures that all of the living characters are convincingly real.” – Mansel Stimpson, Film Review Daily

“With every passing year it gets harder to make a film about our poisoned Earth that remains hopeful. And yet this film succeeds. Maybe it’s the movie’s ghosts that make that possible. Even if our world is already dead, there’s still time for resurrection. There’s still time to end cycles of trauma in our families. There’s still time to change how we treat other living creatures — be they human or animal.” – Drew Burnett Gregory, Autostraddle

***

[Peter]

According to physician and author Dr. Gabor Maté, “Trauma is not what happens to you. Trauma is what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you.” We continue our descent into the hyperreality of Chilean cinema this week with THE COW WHO SANG A SONG INTO THE FUTURE, an allegorical dreamscape of a movie that speaks to the wounded inner child inside all of us. This movie reminds me of Joachim Trier’s LOUDER THAN BOMBS in its basic structure, where the main characters struggle to cope with life following the loss of the family matriarch; however, whereas Trier’s movie remained firmly grounded in the aesthetic of cinematic realism, Francisca Alegría has created a visual tone poem where the dead wander the earth to provide silent succor to those in spiritual distress, and where we hear the lamentations of the women (cows). As befitting of the Chilean magical realism genre, there is a lyrical quality to this movie which resonates with an emotional truth that is deeply felt, if not rationally understood.

You can watch THE COW WHO SANG A SONG INTO THE FUTURE on Kanopy.

Happy viewing!

Steve

Peter

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THE COW WHO SANG A SONG INTO THE FUTURE (2022) by Francisca Alegria

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THE COW WHO SANG A SONG INTO THE FUTURE (2022) by Francisca Alegria

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