By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Lois Patiño
Starring: Ana Marra | Carmen Martínez | Pilar Rodlos | Rubio de Camelle
Original language title: Lúa vermella
Country: spain
Year: 2021
Running time: 84
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11950836/reference
Michael says: “I caught up with one of Bruce’s favorite film festivals virtually this year, as Lincoln Center presented New Directors/New Films. Here is the first of several films I managed to watch.
“The Galacian coast featured in RED MOON TIDE is so unlike the Galacian forests seen recently in FIRE WILL COME, but it is just as beautiful, and provides a dark and mythic backdrop for this unique film written and directed by Lois Patiño. This haunting tale is told with an unnerving combination of staged, static shots… on landscapes, groups of people, people alone, mostly still, like mannequins staged for some sort of macabre exhibition, and voiceover, presumably the inner monologues of the frozen townsfolk in tableaux. They are ruminating about a fisherman, Rubio, who is convinced a massive creature is lurking in the depths of the ocean, hunting the shores of the town, as he discovers more and more corpses as he takes his boat to see. He retrieves the corpses to bring the villagers back home, but now his ship has run aground and he himself is among the missing. Along with Rubio, it seems the spirits of the villagers have fled as well, leaving only their bodies… immobile, waiting… for what, we are not sure.
“Twenty minutes into the film, three witches arrive, the sole humans moving about the town. They are searching for clues to Rubio’s disappearance. They are casting spells, their movements are slow and deliberate. The final third of the film sees the results of their attempt to return Rubio home, and the conclusion brings the leviathan to the screen, suggesting some sort of devastating climax the echoes some of the imagery on display throughout — it’s clear this is a battle between man and nature, and after taking it for so long, nature is striking back.
“The visuals of this film are amazing, whether they be vast, coastal vistas, the moon rippling across the waves, a massive abandoned hydroelectric plant, or simple a woman, standing in a room where she has just eaten breakfast. Many of the group shots have an unnerving disconnect, people frozen, facing away from one another, each trapped in their own world. It was certainly a unique viewing experience, the closest similar experience might be Tsai Min-liang’s GOOD BYE, DRAGON INN, but with a heap of mysticism overlaid. It was certainly a fascinating experience. 4 cats“
Red Moon Tide