El agua

El Agua about and shot in Riera's hometown in Southern Spain, was driven by the nuances of the peoples' complicated sexual history as well as oranges and cursed water (and a ton of cigarettes). I respect that Riera took a risk by including real interviews with ladies from the town but upon seeing the first interview the film lost its momentum. Followed by long bouts of dialogue, it carried on for far too long to the point where the emotional arcs of each character became uninteresting. Riera did a great job using symbols and fables sprinkled throughout the film but didn't trust the audience enough with them. Those narrative themes felt forced through plenty of dialogue with what were otherwise very grounded performances all around. The scenes with Ana and her grandmother (Luna Pamiés and Nieve de Medina) were particularly easy to enjoy.

There is faith that Riera will return with a better film.