Customer Reviews

Alamar

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the loveliest films I've ever seen. An affair between a vacationing Italian woman and Jorge, a fiercely handsome Mexican fisherman, leads to the birth of a little boy, Natan. The couple breaks up, with sadness but no rancor, because there is no way to accommodate the distance between their respective worlds. When he is probably around five, the boy goes to spend a summer with his father and grandfather. The father offers all that he has: himself, his love, and his world. It is a world of men who live in nature, doing things a child can share, filled with wonder and beauty. At the end of their time together, a bond has formed between father and son.. "I will always be with you."

Loved, loved, loved this film. It tells the incredible story or a Mexican man, Jorge, spending a summer in his native coast and in the sea (a la mar = to the sea) with his young son Natan before he has to bring Natan to stay with his mother in Rome. I don't want to use the term "male bonding" because it can have such silly connotations but ultimately that's what this movie is about; moreover, the bond between a father and son and the bond between men and nature. Jorge shows Natan their roots in the Mayan culture by bringing him along in the water on the Banco Chinchorro, a huge coral reef, where they fish. It looks at the physicality of men in both doing productive work to catch and prepare the fish and in playing with each other, just wrestling around.

A large egret, who they name "Blanquita," becomes a poignant theme in the film, showing Natan that sometimes you have to say goodbye, even if you did your best to get to know someone. As heartwarming as it is to see Jorge and Natan grow close, a pall hangs over the film as we know that they will have to part at the end of the trip. It was difficult to tell if the movie was fiction or a documentary, I've been doing some research and it still isn't clear - especially since Jorge and Natan are real-life father and son and Jorge did have to bring Natan to stay with his mother in Rome while he remained in Banco Chinchorro. This blurred fiction serves to make "Alamar" all the more powerful. The filming was very rhythmic, in time with the sea and nature around them. It was like being transported into a totally different time. Meanwhile, the scenery is marvelous and there are some really astounding underwater shots, including some of the men fishing like birds diving into the water with spears. Moving, wonderful film. It transported me to a nature paradise outside of the realm of cars, pollution, and cell phones. I only wish I could have stayed there longer..

Have you watched 'Fishing with John', John Lurie's tongue-in-cheek series of short documentaries, in each of which he takes one of his celebrity friends (Tom Waits, William Dafoe, Jim Jarmusch, etc.) fishing at an exotic location? This documentary is somewhat similar, only it's the real deal. You're invited to watch three generations of men (the youngest of which is a young boy called Natan) fishing freely off the coast of Mexico. For just over an hour you can forget about Facebook or Twitter, and observe what comes through as a beautiful, surprisingly bare way of life that is intrinsically connected to the wildlife and nature. Before Natan splits to Rome indefinitely with his Italian mother, his Mexican father and grandpa give the child a taste of what it's like to be a fisherman. Director Pedro González-Rubio does a great job at capturing the family's situation and a sense of the kind of memories that Natan is to carry with him across to Europe.

This film made me think of what life would have been like in a "Garden of Eden." It starts out as a story of two lovers - an Italian and a Native American from Mexico who have a child but whose adult life styles are simply too different to stay together. Natan - the boy - goes to live with his mother in Rome...but when he is 5 years old his Mayan father asks permission to bring his child to his remote Caribbean isle in Mexico to bond with his son (yes) but also to impart in a very real way his vision of the world.

This is a movie about the everyday existence of simple fishermen living next to a beautiful coral reef hidden away from most of the modern conveniences of urban culture. One would think that a movie without a plot would be boring - but it turns into a deeply meditative experience - even a healing experience of human life in full harmony with nature. There is very little music - perhaps the "whir" of a motor boat or the pulsating rhythm of waves beating against a wooden platform. The cinematography is splendid - peaceful - in tune with nature.

In a sense it is a "parable" of three generations: the boy, his father Jorge, and his grandfather - all toasted by the sun and living out a modest existence from the fruits of the sea. The father gives his son his first taste of snorkeling and we see images of the father and grandfather snorkeling underwater and spearing lobsters for their living. They glide like birds who plunge from the sky and spear their catch. Another time the father and son are fishing barracuda. The boy is introduced slowly and lovingly to the life of a fisherman who respects marine and bird life. The film is like a long snapshot of a truly beautiful moment of the lives of grandfathers and fathers and sons - all working and enjoying themselves in harmony with themselves and their natural world. One of the key scenes is the way in which the father Jorge offers food to a wild egret - and teaches the boy to approach the bird slowly without a hint of malice. Eventually, the bird walks on the boys' arm and Natan is delighted.

The title of my review is a sentence spoken by the grandfather to Natan - as he wistfully reminisces about the importance of the sea in his life.

This DVD would be a lovely gift for those who are prepared to experience a world minus cell phones and televisions and automobiles - a world as it has been lived for thousands of years. but a world in danger of being lost

This is a sweet story with breathtaking scenery. A worthwhile excape from the 'rat race' to see how these villagers live- admittedly a bit idealized, making one wonder how realistic is it, but still beautiful.

-Beautiful scenery- check.

-Wonderful cinematography- check

-Original and ground breaking- check.

-So boring that I fell asleep twice and also counted all of the tile on the theatre ceiling twice.- check

In spite of being scripted, this movie could very easily pass as a documentary. When you watch a native Mayan fisherman fish for 15 straight minutes- the fact that is it is under direction of a director is superfluous. Also documentaries usually have a point. Not that I didn't marvel at the amazing secluded setting and the simple life these people lead.

For me, this movie sort generated the feeling of sleeping on the beach. You are surrounded by beautiful sights and soothing sounds. Nothing is really happening.. But every now and again something gets your attention and you idly watch until your eyes drift close. But at the end of the day, this doesn't keep my interest when applied to cinema. I like feeling like this when I am at the beach, but not so much in a theatre. I walked out of the theatre groggy, drained and with a headache- just like I feel when I leave the beach after 8 hours.

I do understand why film buffs appreciate this. It is very original approach. But for me . I need more than originality to be entertained.

Alamar is a crude diamond, an intimate and candid narrative of the experience of a small boy and his father. Parents are split. Son lives in Rome with mother. Son is taken to visit his father in Mexico, who is a "Tarzan" of the sea, living as a fisherman and embedded in nature. The beauty is raw and little by little the shy boy slowly becomes captivated by his father's embracing love and his teachings about nature and the life of fishermen. Never sentimental, and spare in dialogue, it is an original and truly unforgettable filmic achievement that is authentic to the core.

An amazing film really. And it's not just the magnificent photography that captures the natural beauty, as well as the incredible relationship between Father and Son (and the older Father/Son, and Grandfather/Grandson relationships). What makes this movie a masterpiece is the subtle presentation of the purpose of life and how our modern existence is, in contrast, so incredibly uninvolving, mediocre, and fraudulent. The purpose and intelligence of life is shown through the day to day work these fishermen do. It is done with such clarity and compassion by the film makers and actors, that it has restored my faith in human beings.

I've been a fan of the Film Movement library of foreign and indie films for some time now, and haven't been disappointed much. This is another splendid film from that library.

"Alamar" (75 min.; originally released in 2010) brings a very simple story of a young boy hanging out with his (now divorced) dad, away from his mom in Italy, and truly as far away as one can imagine. The boy's dad and grandpa live the simple life in Banco Chinchorro, Mexico, off of the coast where life is centered around fishing. There is no real story line in the movie. It shows the boy, his dad and grandpa living the daily life. And what a beauty it is. The movie goes at a slow pace, and that is a compliment. Just enjoy the interacting and the scenery.

I really couldn't tell whether the main figures in the movie are really actors, or locals that are simply appearing in the movie, as this felt almost as a documentary. Either way, this is a fantastic little movie that is sure to please lovers of foreign/indie movies. Highly recommended!

This movie takes you on a journey few get to experience. It is slow-paced and meditative, filmed in a documentary style, with few words. Magnificent ocean scenery is combined with realistic activity of reef fisherman, as one is introducing his young boy to the life of such a fisherman. Not boring, but hypnotic and spellbinding . . . the directing is elegant, its timing perfect. How refreshing to view a movie that has no negativity nor downside! It's for anyone who has ever dreamed about living on a desert island . . .