Seated by the Fire (Sentados frente al fuego)- Trailer

Daniel and Alejandra, a middle-aged couple, share a meal and talk about a recently found kitten, relatives, acquaintances... nothing special. It takes us a while to realize that Alejandra is not well, perhaps stricken with a serious illness. The couple's easygoing tête-à-tête is a gentle way to introduce a more complex reality. This is exactly the same approach young Chilean director Alejandro Fernández Almendras uses to create his cinema. He presents an apparently simple and conventional film, talks about the couple's life and introduces the audience to the world of rural Chile --its relationships with the city, the nuances of its economy and the feelings of its inhabitants.

Daniel simultaneously hold several jobs: laborer, taxi driver, truck driver, handyman. None of these jobs could define the man, maybe because his main task is caring for Alejandra. Their world is about the here and now, with some memories, but without a future. This perspective could be regarded as an unusual political statement.

Almendras, whose Huacho showed at ADFF in 2009, is not a director content to take his audience on a countryside picnic. He portrays with a unique sensibility what he knows best: life in the Chillán region of Chile. With Seated by the Fire he does not treat us as mere tourists; he would rather we be active participants in a meaningful journey.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Seated by the Fire
• ADFF
• Abu Dhabi Film Festival
• Alejandro Fernández Almendras
• El Remanso Cine
• Pandora Filmproducktion

[Muhurlulu]

Subtle, substantial and sublimely beautiful! One of the most talents to emerge in recent years.....