IFFR 2006 Official Competition
In search of the Legend of Time
Screened in official competition at the Rotterdam Film Festival, The Legend of Time (La Leyenda del tiempo) pays tribute to legendary flamenco singer Camerón de la Isla. While Jaime Chávarri has just made a biopic about the artist, entitled Camerón, La Leyenda del tiempo – named after one of the singer’s albums – is a work of fiction. It is the second feature from Catalan filmmaker Isaki Lacuesta, whose previous film was the multiple award-winning Cravan vs Cravan. "When I visited the Island of San Fernando for the first time", the director recalled, "all that I could find of Camerón were the remains of a legend, a presence both subtle and physical. That landscape and those faces convinced me of the necessity to make the film."
La Leyenda del tiempo follows two characters who initially seem to have nothing in common. Isra is a 13 year-old traveller who stopped singing since his father died, just as his voice broke. Makiko is a young Japanese girl who quit her native country and her sick father to return to the flamenco island. Learning to sing, she hopes finally to be able to express her feelings and emotions, something Japanese culture had never taught her. Isra and Makiko do not meet but both are ready for a transformation when they come into contact with an old Japanese fisherman and flamenco.
To the detriment of a more solid and dynamic structure, the film concentrates on the poetry of words and images. Bathing in the music of emotions, seeking out its path with each successive image, it incites reflection, notably in the beautiful scenes between Makiko and the old fisherman.
La Leyenda del tiempo was produced by Mallerich Films (Paco Poch), Jaleo Films (Antonio Lobo) and De Palacio Films (Pepón Siglér).
(Translated from French)
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