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GIJÓN 2018

Review: Cold Lands

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- Through evocative imagery and a simple but radiant narrative, Iratxe Fresneda invites us on a meditative and poetic journey across Europe

Review: Cold Lands

Iratxe Fresneda and her films are something of an oddity in Spanish cinema. In this Basque filmmaker’s work, image and sound serve as tools for reflection, bringing us closer to a reality that appears transformed by the singular filter of Fresneda’s gaze. Influenced and inspired by master filmmakers like Theo Angelopoulos, Win Wenders and Rithy Panh, Fresneda is not one for grandstanding, but the praise she has earned for her work places her on a level with her mentors. Cold Lands [+see also:
trailer
film profile
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, which premiered in the Llendes section of the Gijón International Film Festival, is a perfect example of a film crafted in a spirit of absolute freedom and honesty.

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From the very start, it’s clear that we are watching a diary film, as a voice-over by the director calls on us to accompany her on her travels. The adventure begins on the road in the Basque country. We visit villages nestled in beautiful countryside, linger to observe the local people and imagine, alongside our guide, the history of the ruins we stumble upon. Fresneda’s monologues sparkle with clarity, casting light on forgotten corners of our minds and whetting our appetite to savour every frame.

As Fresneda captures her journey on film, the project also becomes a kind of time machine. Through photographs by Eulalia Abaitua, a pioneer of photography in Spain who began capturing the world around her at the end of the nineteenth century, she enters into conversation with the women who occupied these places before her, focusing on lives lived on the margins, far from the glory of the great historic events which have always been a magnet for filmmakers.

The themes explored in the film are as limitless as the thoughts that stray across Fresneda’s mind as she observes the images captured by her camera. While the architectural scars of formerly divided Berlin and the shops she sees from her hotel window prompt a reflection on gentrification and its effects, a visit to the Lars von Trier museum in Denmark leaves her in fascinated contemplation of the profound relationship between the artist and the objects that shape his or her art. As Cold Lands gently unfolds before our eyes, the carousel of subtle images that marks the rhythm of the simple but apposite narration pique our interest, and the experience becomes a delightful journey that opens us up to new perspectives.

It would be naive not to recognise that a film like this will struggle to reach a mass audience, but its success should not be measured in these terms. The simple fact that Fresneda was able to make such a personal film, and present it at a festival, is an achievement in itself. It is this kind of unique perspective, able to convey unique and authentic ways of perceiving and understanding the world, that will ensure the survival of Europe’s rich and diverse filmmaking tradition.

Cold Lands was produced by Pimpi & Nella Films.

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(Translated from Spanish)

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