Hamaca paraguaya (2006)

Director:

Paz Encina

Writer:

Paz Encina (writer)

Release Date:

14 May 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Set in 1935, a couple of aged smallholders are waiting for their son, for rain, for better days. |

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Ramon Del Rio	...	Ramón
Georgina Genes	...	Candida

Also Known As:

Paraguayan Hammock (International: English title)

Runtime:

78 min

Country:

Argentina | Paraguay | Netherlands | Austria | France | Germany

Language:

Guarani

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Paraguay

Company:

CMW Films

A highly meditative, beautiful film

I went to see 'Hamaca Paraguaya' at an early morning screening at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. Unsure of what to expect, other than a film which takes place almost exclusively around a hammock, I entered the sparsely populated theatre with tired eyes.

Within moments after the film began, I was mesmerized. The monotony of the lives of Ramón and Candida was mirrored by the progression of the film. But instead of becoming boring, the film evoked a sort of slow cadence that was very refreshing and meditative. The sounds of the rainy Paraguayan jungle provided a beautiful backdrop to the conversations between an old man and an old woman waiting for their son to return home.

As a simple, evocative film, Hamaca Paraguaya succeeds admirably. If you go see this, and I really hope many people do: please go in without preconceived notions of it being boring. Instead, let it envelope your emotions and thoughts. By the end, I wished I could sit back in a Paraguayan hammock, and just live.