Dos Estaciones

Juan Pablo González

How globalisation destroys the rich history of a localbtequila factory and devours this and other artisan
factories.

Fifty-year-old Maria Garcia is the owner of a once successful tequila factory in the mountainous Jalisco in western Mexico. After decades of success and after having been one of the richest families in town, Maria now struggles to keep her head above water. When a persistent plague damages her plantations and American buyers arrive, things get hard and Maria, inspite of her pride, cannot hide her financial problems any longer. At a birthday party Maria meets the beautiful Rafaela, who claims to be good at administration. Maria invites her to come work for her and Rafaela helps Maria to slowly open up. The two women develop a complicated relationship of attracting and repelling.

Actress Teresa Sánchez convincingly plays Maria, in her big as well as her small gestures. She was justifiably awarded the prize for best actor at the Sundance FilmFestival. Most of the other parts were played by non-professional actors. The director is from Jalisco and hisparents were tequila farmers, grantingthe film an authentic feel. This film is one for connoisseurs, thanks to the tight frames, the fantastic compositions, the impressive camerawork, the sharp psychological portraits, the nuanced, yet rich story and the slow rhythm.

direction
Juan Pablo González
duration
99 min
year
2022
country
France, the United States
language
Spanish
Subtitles
English, Dutch

Beautiful and melancholy, it offers a bracing cinematic elixir for body and soul.

Christopher Llewellyn Reed