Robin C
“Afternoons of Solitude”
Filmmaker Albert Serra makes his first foray into the documentary feature world and follows, over the course of days, superstar Spanish bullfighter Andres Roca Rey as he plies his deadly skills of grace in “Afternoons of Solitude.”
I have never watched or cared to watch a Spanish bullfight. Something about torturing, stabbing with spears and darts and killing a poor dumb bull goes against every humane sensibility I have. But, that does not mean I cannot appreciate Albert Serra’s up close look at the art and spectacle of bullfighting.
During the course of “Afternoons of Solitude,” we learn that there are six separate processes involved in the ultimate demise of the toro. It starts with the matador, here Andres, performing fancy capework to get the bull in motion. Then, the picadors, astride heavily padded and blindfolded horses, stab the bull repeatedly with spears to cause bleeding. More flashy capework and, then, the banderillas (short spears) are thrust into the wounds. Finally, the dangerous passes with the muleta and, finally the coup de mort by sword. All this for the entertainment of the masses,
With all that described and said, Albert Serra creates a beautiful, horrific, gut-wrenching look into a barbaric sport that is akin and the reversal of the gladiator versus lion contests of ancient Rome. This time, the human is in control and the poor, dumb beast is destined to dies a gruesome and horrific death.
This is truly an enigmatic documentary. On one hand, it is about unbridled cruelty to the bull. Sure, the matador risks life and limb in the close quarters with an angry and tormented 1200 pound animal with pointy horns. But, that danger is tempered by those assisting the bullfighter, in this case Andre, as they distract the bull when danger does arise. The odds are, of course, with the matador,
Serra does not go with convention as he depicts the spectators sport without actually showing the spectators. His cameras are up close and personal with Andre and his victims – there are 14 corridas (fights) during the course of the film. His performance is a combination of theater and fearless daring as he taunts the bull, performs for the crowd, turning his back on an angry, badly bleeding animal to prove his courage, And it takes courage to do what he does, but what it does is plain animal cruelty. Thus the enigma of beauty and grace versus violence and death is a tough one for me.
As a guy who loves movies of all shapes and sizes, I can recognize a master at work. The subject may not be for all viewers, but the structure of the film, the dedication of the toreador and his entourage, the beauty of the suit of lights (it does look like lights sparkling when in the bright sunshine) and Serra’s camera team make this both a fascinating and hard to watch documentary, It is, still, a masterpiece in filmmaking and, like it or not, I respect the auteur and his work.
A
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
03/26/25
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