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The South

Play trailer The South 1983 1h 34m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 91% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Estrella Arenas (Icíar Bollaín), a rural Spanish teenager with a rich imagination, dreams of her mysterious father Agustín (Omero Antonutti), a man who in recent years has drifted away from her. Estrella struggles to piece together Agustín's secret history and recalls her family's sudden unexplained move from Seville, Spain, to the northern countryside in her youth. Estrella decides to return alone to the South, a place warped by years of her father's hazy and nostalgic recollections.

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The South

Critics Reviews

View All (14) Critics Reviews
David Robinson Times (UK) Erice confirms his mastery of mood, ambivalence, and the art of evoking the mysteries rather than the sharp lines of character. May 12, 2023 Full Review Nigel Andrews Financial Times The ingredients have all been seen before in Spanish cinema, but the poetry with which they're remixed makes them seem new. May 12, 2023 Full Review Patrick Gibbs Daily Telegraph (UK) A film of the highest artistry, to kindle the imagination and linger in the memory. May 12, 2023 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia Erice illustrates it as a sober, lyrical, beautiful drama, which finds its north in a refined aesthetic that subtly, it dialogues about a childhood marked by the chiaroscuros of the post-war period. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 7/10 Nov 30, 2023 Full Review Tom Milne Observer (UK) A lovely little film of amazing delicacy. May 12, 2023 Full Review Diego Galán El Pais (Spain) A fascinating and emotional dream that is not interrupted for the audience. [Full Review in Spanish] Aug 29, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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raphael g Although not as astounding as his first film, Erice shows that he is a master of cinema. Great movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A woman reflects on her own story as how she remember how it was like growing up. She is an only child, has a kind mother and has a father she digs. He is of the mysterious kind and even if she is too young to understand, she knows that something is up. The story is told from the childs perspectice. Mostly when Estrella is eight, later on when she is fifteen. This is a very beautiful film. It's shot so wonderfully and there are many warm scenes. It's also a bit mysterious so you don't fall in the grave the film slowly digs - the matter of little happenings and solid entertainment value. I liked it. The acting, the atmosphere and the poetry that stays near the film the entire playtime. I have "El espíritu de la colmena" in my shelf, probably the directors most known film, but I saw this one first. This film was actually never completed. Some disagreements with the producer made it cut short - and I believe we lost at least 30 or 45 minutes to the whole film sadly. So, since it's cut rather short and "brutal" it left me a bit on a wonder - something that's OK, but I still got a feeling that there was even better things to come. So for me, this is a very good film, that could have been better if it ever was med "whole". 7.5 out of 10 actresses. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review andrey k It's incredible what cinema has yet to offer, it's like an inexhaustible well. The director, Victor Erice, is a master of creating this soul-wrenching atmosphere, nostalgia, rendering on the screen the moments of childhood. Just like his previous masterpiece "The Spirit of the Beehive" this movie features a little girl, through whom we witness our earthly mysteries which we tend to forget or which tend to become less acute as we grow up. This film is a sort of ethereal experience which penetrates deep in our memory and soul and leaves us pensive. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member It's regrettable that the full vision of the film is never realised. In any case, the half we manage to have reminds me of Pan's Labyrinth and it's not a good sign. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member With a meticulously paced and intimate approach, Erice realizes a poetic study over the complexity of the human mind analyzing our failures and desires. Using again some recurrent themes seen in The Spirit of the Beehive he explores the true artistic values of cinema. Another masterpiece. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review paul p Amazingly soulful movie that will make a Basque person tremble with recognition. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The South

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Movie Info

Synopsis Estrella Arenas (Icíar Bollaín), a rural Spanish teenager with a rich imagination, dreams of her mysterious father Agustín (Omero Antonutti), a man who in recent years has drifted away from her. Estrella struggles to piece together Agustín's secret history and recalls her family's sudden unexplained move from Seville, Spain, to the northern countryside in her youth. Estrella decides to return alone to the South, a place warped by years of her father's hazy and nostalgic recollections.
Director
Víctor Erice
Producer
Elias Querejeta
Screenwriter
Víctor Erice
Production Co
Chloe Productions
Genre
Drama
Original Language
European Spanish
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 20, 2018
Runtime
1h 34m
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