LA CIENAGA

'La Cinéaga' (The Swamp) tells the story of two families, one upper class and in decline, the other middle class and harried, and through them builds a devastating portrait of life in the Argentine provinces.

REVIEWS

"Lucrecia Martel's remarkable debut film, ''La Ciénaga,'' shows how geography and climate also determine human fate. For whether or not we recognize it, we all live in nature. (...) As ''La Ciénaga'' perspires from the screen, it creates a vision of social malaise that feels paradoxically familiar and new. Anyone who has wilted during the dog days of summer will recognize its mood and identify with the characters' pervasive sense of exasperation. But ''La Ciénaga,'' (...) is the first film I've seen that makes this mood its subject." - THE NEW YORK TIMES

"Told in a distinctly observational mode of narrative, Martel’s film seems almost plotless, a wandering spotlight that focuses selectively upon the flawed and fragile characters depicted by its incredible ensemble cast, led by 1960s and 1970s matinee star Graciela Borges as the possessive, alcoholic matriarch." - HARVARD FILM ARCHIVE

"La Ciénaga (2001), is impossible to classify, recalling David Lynch at his most subtle, and Jane Campion at her transcendent best." - THE TELEGRAPH

PRIZES

Winner of:

- Best actress, best cinematography, best first film - ARGENTINIAN FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS
- Alfred Bauer Award - BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
- Best actress, best director, best sound - HAVANA FILM FESTIVAL
- French Critics Discovery Award, Grand Prix -  TOULOUSE LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL

LUCRECIA MARTEL SEASON

At the forefront of the Argentine New Wave, Martel makes narratively subtle films in which sound and image share an equal footing.

Whilst Lucrecia Martel's The Headless Woman is currently doing massively well on the film festival circuit, we take a look at her previous two films. Be sure not to miss these as you will be hearing a lot about her...

"Lucrecia Martel is considered one of the most singular filmmakers in the world today" - Discovering Latin America Festival, London, 2008

The other film we are showing as part of the season is:

La Nina Santa (2004) - Thu 14 May, 7.30pm