Witches, Myths, and Ancestral Legends: In Cannes, two films – one Spanish and one French-Portuguese – bring together long-silent stories about the superstitions that haunt generations of villagers.
Presented in two weeks for directors, aguaElena Lopez Riera, premier film de l’Espagnole, qui concourt à la caméra d’or (meilleur premier film), raconte l’histoire d’Ana, une jeune fille de 17 ans qui tente de s’émanciper des peurs ancestrales transmises par his family. In this film, set in a village in the Valencia region, water is the focus of all fears.
According to a local legend, the women disappeared in the aftermath of the floods, as water would enter their bodies and carry them away forever. Fear haunts the population because floods are common in this region of Spain that lives from agriculture. The director, whose short films already had an anthropological significance, by speaking of these myths, wanted to show that they are essentially a medium “To control women’s bodies, desires, and freedom”confirms to AFP.
The film blends footage from real floods with fantastical and dreamlike moments. “With this movie, I wanted to show that it’s not necessarily easy to get rid of the heritage passed on by your family but you can still question it‘, she continues.
On the other hand, the movie Alma FIFAthe first feature film by Kristel Alves Mera, presented at Critics Week, extends reflection on these myths by telling the story of witches.
Screened in Portugal, the film offers a feminine look at witchcraft in that country by narrating a special relationship between a witch’s grandmother and her granddaughter Salome, who has special powers. When his grandmother died under the blowfrom the evil eyeAfter a neighbor throws Salome, she must face her powers alone.
“There is an interest in everything related to rituals and traditionsIts director confirms to AFP. The reason is .. a modern world is being created.”resentment“.
