Double Freedom
In the latest film from slow cinema visionary Lisandro Alonso, the simple life of a reclusive woodcutter on the Argentine pampas is upended by an unexpected family responsibility.
Misael leads a simple and self-sufficient life in the forest, far from other humans. He fells trees, smokes tobacco and lets days go by unchanged. But his hermit life is turned upside down with an unexpected familial responsibility. As funding cuts shut down her care facility, Misael is forced to take his mentally ill sister into his charge. This new, human connection, disrupting the simplistic natural rhythm of Misael’s life, also challenges his idea of personal freedom.
With Double Freedom, Argentinian slow cinema expert Lisandro Alonso returns to the milieu and protagonist of his first feature La Libertad (2001). Amateur actor Misael Saavedra doesn’t so much reprise a role as continues living a life that began on the screen a quarter century ago. The passage of time in Alonso’s film feels as tangible as the growth of the trees: the world has changed, but Misael’s relationship with work, nature and solitude has not.
Alonso crafts drama out of tiny gestures and observations. Long takes shot on 35mm film and sparse dialogue leave room for the sounds of nature, human movement and the language of solitude.
Rauli Karjalainen (translated by Adrian Murtomäki)
Screenings
-
WHS Teatteri UnionFri 18.9. at 20.45–22.25100 min, 1/4
-
Kino Engel 2Sat 19.9. at 11.15–12.55100 min, 2/4
-
Kino Engel 2Mon 21.9. at 18.00–19.40100 min, 3/4
-
Kino Engel 2Sat 26.9. at 16.10–17.50100 min, 4/4