Lejos de los árboles

An Impressionistic voyage through an unknown and forgotten Spain, far from tourist itineraries and political proclamations. In a lyrical style that only partly softens the film’s social critique, Esteva Grewe concentrates on the poverty of the people and the persistence of ancient superstitions in the countryside, all in strong contrast to the image of progress and modernity that Franco’s regime promoted during the 1960s. The filming was postponed for 7 years before it was completed, was then heavily censured. The film seems an ideal sequel to Tierra sin Pan, the documentary filmed by Buñuel in the Las Hurdes region in 1931.

“I like to remember the last time Jacinto Esteva Grewe and I met up. It was in 1969, at ‘Alfredo’ in Santa Maria in Trastevere, and together we watched with astonishment how fast the hands of the church clock in front of us were moving. It was a hallucinatory experience: time had gone crazy, it was being chased by itself!” (J. Jordá)