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‘Far From the Trees’ Review: A Richly Contemplative Journey of Physical and Mental Meanderings, Beautifully Combining 4K Digital with Super 16
Meritxell Colell Aparicio’s “Far From the Trees” is reviewed as a deeply personal, contemplative drama about Adela, a Mexican sound artist travelling through the Peruvian Amazon to record nature and endangered indigenous languages. The film links her present-day journey with memories of childhood, family relationships and inherited trauma, using sound and landscape to explore how language can evoke both comfort and pain.
Premiering in competition at Locarno, the film combines 4K digital, Super 16mm and archival footage to give different textures to present experience and memory. Angélica Castelló plays Adela, who works with multilingual local guide Lucho while confronting recollections of her left-wing Catalan family, grandparents and nanny Paula; the review praises the film’s sensory approach, editing and intimate yet ambitious scope.
In short
- A sound artist’s Amazon journey awakens painful and idyllic family memories.
- The film blends digital, Super 16mm and archival footage.
- The review sees arthouse potential in its sensory, reflective style.
Explained simply
The Amazon basin spans several South American countries, including Peru, and is home to many Indigenous peoples with distinct languages and traditions. Some of these languages are endangered, meaning fewer people speak them and they may eventually disappear.
Languages can carry family histories and personal memories as well as everyday meaning. Adela’s journey connects her work recording sounds and languages with recollections of her childhood and family, including the experiences passed down across generations.
The film is directed by Meritxell Colell Aparicio, with Angélica Castelló playing Adela and local guide Lucho accompanying her in Peru. Its use of digital images, Super 16mm film and archival footage gives different visual textures to the journey and memories.
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