La libertad (2001)

Director:

Lisandro Alonso

Writer:

Lisandro Alonso (writer)

Release Date:

28 June 2001 (Argentina)

Genre:

Drama

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Misael Saavedra	...	Lumberjack
Humberto Estrada	...	Foreman
Rafael Estrada	...	Foreman's son
Omar Didino	...	Wood buyer
Javier Didino	...	Gas-station employee

Also Known As:

Freedom (UK)

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

Argentina

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | France:U

Filming Locations:

La Pampa, Argentina

a day in the woods

This is the first installment of Lisandro Alonso's trilogy: La Libertad, Los Muertos and Fantasma -- which literally translate to The Freedom, The Dead and Phantom. All three films are quite intriguing and very much worth watching. (Los Muertos is my personal favorite because it seems to flow most naturally, almost magically, like the river where it takes place; but I've come across an interview in which Alonso speaks of La Libertad as a more challenging and, in his view, more successful project.)

Throughout the trilogy, the Argentinean director/screenwriter manages to inspire in the audience a true sense of awe and mystery while working with very few, beautifully simple ideas; it is precisely the economic and lean nature of the "storytelling" (if one may call it this) that's most captivating.

In La Libertad, the camera appears to document a day in the life of a woodsman who survives in a state of near-complete isolation. (Curiously enough, the filmmaker has described the story as being not so much about a lumberjack, but about a person watching that lumberjack from a cinema - a concept which is later touched upon in Fantasma, the third part of the trilogy.)

If you're a viewer who enjoys slow movies and has a taste for subtlety and experimentation, don't miss this film.