Latin America & Spain Film Festival
Written by Farqi (Kru’21)
LASFF or Latin America & Spain Film Festival is an annual event which aims to represent Latin American, Spanish, and many other communities in New Zealand through the use of movies. The event was held in 9 cities across New Zealand and screened 7 movies from Latin American countries and Spain.
I was fortunate enough to attend the festival when it was held in the University of Waikato, the location of which I was studying as an IISMA Awardee. The festival became my first time attending a film screening abroad and it was a truly memorable one.
Agua (2006) — Argentina
dir. Veronica Chen
Agua was a festival-opening movie that introduced the nature of Latin American films that were going to be shown in the festival. The slow-burning story, the raw emotions displayed, and a somewhat realistic storyline quite represented the lineup the festival had to offer. A former swimming champion previously accused of doping returns to his beloved sport in an effort to regain his title and name. During his efforts, he meets a young swimmer who he asks for help during his competition.
Agua was a comeback story that failed to display growth in its characters — the characters’ arc felt a bit stagnant as none. Agua had a good sense of realism to what it was displaying, as shown by the characters’ dialogues and set pieces. The film also shined in immersing the audience into the world of competitive swimming and the struggles that competitors faced while they were striving for gold. These redeeming qualities of Agua were unfortunately overshadowed by not just the plot, but also its pacing. Everything just felt rushed and thoroughly undeveloped to provide any connection between viewers and the characters. Overall, Agua wasn’t the best of starts for a film festival, but it had its moments that made viewing it quite an experience.
The Mole Agent (2020) — Chile
dir. Maite Alberdi
A documentary that seemed too-good-to-be-true, The Mole Agent tells the story of an 83 year-old man as he investigates for a family who became concerned about their mother’s well-being in a retirement home. His investigation wasn’t all that easy as he faces the difficulty of balancing out his assignment with his increasing involvement into the retirement home resident’s lives.
Who knew that a film about grandparents would be both heartbreaking and sweet? The Mole Agent showcases the reality of how the elderly get neglected by their own family and be forced to be in the care of someone else. Sergio, our 83 year-old agent, traverses the retirement home in the hope of finding information about a resident that was said to be abused. As he looks for this information, he finds meaningful and personal connection between him and many residents, whether it’s from sharing stories, him becoming the homecoming king, to taking several residents for a goodbye lunch as he leaves the retirement home. Who would’ve thought that those meaningful connections would spark an emotional connection between them and us, the audience.
Sergio’s story as a mole agent isn’t what you would expect in an espionage film. It paints a warm picture on how elders live their lives. The realistic and often comedic interactions the film captures help develop a sense of sympathy for audiences towards these retirement home residents. Tears and laughter filled the room until the credits rolled on — it was a heartwarming experience.
Lullaby (2022) — Spain
dir. Alauda Ruiz De Azua
A heartwarming and emotional film, Lullaby or Cinco Lobitos displayed both the struggles of being a parent and taking care of our parents in those latter years when they’re getting older. Amaia, the main character, is a new mom who embarks on the quest to become a good mother as she seeks aid from her parents at their house. During Amaia’s time at her parent’s house it became prevalent how it wasn’t just a happy family reunion; rage, dissatisfaction, unspoken love, and yearning for old memories filled the air in the house as each individual showcased their own struggles with life. Amaia’s life was challenged not just by her baby, but also her mother as she faces the reality of her fight against a chronic illness, which forces her to try and balance the life as a mother and a daughter.
Amaia’s story was delivered pretty well from its emotional build ups to the satisfying payoffs that made viewers shed tears. Those tears weren’t for nothing as the characters were fleshed out in such a manner where we developed a sense of care towards them. Lullaby, as the festival’s closing film, left the audience craving for more than just the 7 films screened. It closed the door in a dramatic fashion for the festival as well as opened one for audiences to look into the vast world of Latin American and Spanish films.
It was a bit unfortunate that I was only able to watch 3 out of the 7 films screened due to some scheduling conflicts between the festival and my college assignments. However, the films I ended up watching were ones that have since stuck with me from the moment I left the venue. The experience of going to a film festival outside of my own country was something I never would’ve thought to do, and is becoming something I long for more.
