Stir Cheat Sheet: 3 movies to catch at the New Spanish Cinema festival, January 9 to 14

A historical adventure about Cervantes and documentaries about a flamenco guitarist and a matador are among the must-sees at the expanded event at the VIFF Centre

By Janet Smith

The Captive

WORD HAS IT THAT the organizers of this year’s New Spanish Cinema festival, running January 9 to 14 at the VIFF Centre, were so blown away by how many strong entries there were that they expanded the planned program from four to fourteen.

That says something about the thriving nature of the country’s film scene right now. Among the offerings are several standouts from the past year’s Goya Awards (Premios Goya)—Spain’s most prestigious national film awards—including El 47 (which got the best-film nod), Saturn Return (best director), The Blue Star (best new director), The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortés (best documentary), and Black Butterflies (best animation).

Equally striking is the far-ranging content that captures the dazzling diversity of the Iberian continent, from deep dives into traditional subject matter such as flamenco and bullfighting (see below) to historic opuses and indie urban visions.

Here are just three critically acclaimed works worth checking out.

#1

The Captive (El Cautivo)

January 9, 7 pm at the VIFF Centre

Alejandro Amenábar (of Open Your Eyes and the Oscar-winning The Sea Inside) leaps into the ambitious task of portraying the early life of Don Quixote author Miguel de Cervantes—a young soldier (played by Julio Peña) who transforms into a writer. Recognizing his subject deserves much more than a conventional biopic, the Chilean-Spanish director instead offers up an offbeat yet epic historical adventure. Told episodically, the story follows Cervantes, imprisoned in Algiers in 1575, as he keeps himself alive by spinning yarns and cooking up escape plans. Note that this opening-night gala will feature tapas, Serrano ham, and wine tasting after the screening.

#2

The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortés

January 11, 7:30 pm at the VIFF Centre, as part of VIFF Live

Antón Álvarez (otherwise known as rap artist C. Tangana) makes his filmmaking debut with this profile of rising Spanish flamenco-guitar star Yerai Cortés. Personal sorrows inform Cortés’s music, as he grapples with his own Roma heritage and the estrangement of his parents, rooting the documentary in family turmoil and secrets. And so the film becomes as much a psychological portrait as a deeply musical one, full of atmospheric hideaways, uniquely filmed performances, and rhythmic editing. Before the film, the VIFF Live presentation features an hourlong performance, Por Derecho, by Vancouver’s own Flamenco Rosario.

#3

Afternoons of Solitude

January 10, 5:45 pm and January 14, 3 pm at the VIFF Centre

Called “brutally entrancing” by the New York Times and “mesmerising” by Sight and Sound, Albert Serra’s documentary takes an unflinching look at the ceremony, the superstition, and the violence of Spain’s centuries-old bullfights. Turning the lens on the young matador Andrés Roca Rey and giving intimate access to his preparations before fights—without interruptions from talking heads or voice-overs—the director avoids judgment and telling viewers what to think about la corrida. Instead, he finds the poignant contradictions in the beauty and brutality.  

Related Articles