Alcarràs (film)

Alcarràs is a 2022 Spanish-Italian[2] drama film directed by Carla Simón. It is set and shot in Alcarràs, Catalonia, featuring a non-professional cast of Catalan speaking actors. The plot concerns a family drama about the disappearance of traditional peach-harvesting activities. It won the Golden Bear at the 72nd Berlinale, thereby becoming the first Catalan-language film to do so.[3] The film was selected as the Spanish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards,[4] but did not make the shortlist.

Alcarràs
Catalan poster
Directed byCarla Simón
Written by
  • Carla Simón
  • Arnau Vilaró
Produced by
  • María Zamora
  • Stefan Schmitz
  • Tono Folguera
  • Sergi Moreno
Starring
  • Jordi Pujol Dolcet
  • Anna Otin
  • Xènia Roset
  • Albert Bosch
  • Ainet Jounou
CinematographyDaniela Cajías
Edited byAna Pfaff
Music byAndrea Koch
Production
companies
  • Avalon PC
  • Elastica Films
  • Vilaüt Films
  • Kino Produzioni
  • TV3
Distributed by
  • Avalon DA/Elastica (Spain)
  • I Wonder Pictures (Italy)
Release dates
  • 15 February 2022 (2022-02-15) (Berlinale)
  • 29 April 2022 (2022-04-29) (Spain)
  • 26 May 2022 (2022-05-26) (Italy)
Running time
120 minutes
Countries
  • Spain
  • Italy
LanguageCatalan
Box office$3.1 million[1]

Plot

Set in the Catalan town of Alcarràs, the plot consists of a family rural drama concerning the disappearance of agricultural activities, revolving around the intention to install solar panels in an agricultural plot hitherto occupied by a peach orchard, bringing the members of the Solé family to a stand off.[5][6][7]

Cast
  • Jordi Pujol Dolcet as Quimet[2]
  • Anna Otin as Dolors[2]
  • Xènia Roset as Mariona[2]
  • Albert Bosch as Roger[2]
  • Ainet Jounou as Iris[2]
  • Josep Abad as Rogelio[2]
  • Montse Oró as Nati[2]
  • Carles Cabós as Cisco[2]
  • Berta Pipó as Glòria[2]

Production

The screenplay was penned by the director Carla Simón alongside Arnau Vilaró.[8] The film was produced by Avalon PC, Elastica Films and Vilaüt Films alongside Kino Produzioni and TV3,[9][7] with the participation of TVE and Movistar+ and the support of ICAA, ICEC, Creative Europe's MEDIA, Eurimages, MIBACT and Diputació de Lleida.[10] Shooting began on 1 June 2021 in the area of Alcarràs, province of Lleida, with the shooting window constrained to Summer due to the seasonal nature of the film's setting pertaining peach harvest cycles.[8][11] The cast is formed by non-professional actors from the province of Lleida.[6] Shot in Catalan, the entire cast used the local Western dialect (Lleidatà) of the Catalan language pertaining to the area.[12][13] Filming wrapped after 8 weeks of shooting.[7] María Zamora, Stefan Schmitz, Tono Folguera and Sergi Moreno were credited as producers.[9]

Release
Cast members during the presentation of the film at the Berlinale

The film screened in the official competition of the 72nd Berlinale on 15 February 2022.[2][11] The film also screened at the 25th Málaga Festival in March 2022.[14] Initially announced to run as part of the competitive list of the festival's official selection,[14] the festival and the film producers agreed to screen the film out of competition instead.[15] It was thus screened in Málaga on 19 March 2022.[16]

Co-distributed by Avalon DA and Elastica Films in Spain, the film was theatrically released on 29 April 2022.[14][17] Starting with a distribution limited to 169 theatres, the film was the most watched debut film in its opening weekend, and second film overall (first in Catalonia) after The Northman.[18] Distributed by Wonder Pictures, it opened in Italian theatres on 26 May 2022.[19] The film was selected within the 60th New York Film Festival's main slate.[20] By the time Alcarràs was announced within the short-list of three films pre-selected by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain for their submission to the 95th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film on 25 August 2022, the film had grossed around €2.2 million at the Spanish box-office.[21] On 13 September 2022, the film was disclosed as the final selection out of the shortlist.[4] In December it was invited to the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival and was screened on 17 December 2022.[22]

Reception

Critical reception
Simón holding the Golden Bear statuette.

According to the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, Alcarràs has a 92% approval rating based on 53 reviews from critics, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The critical consensus on the website reads: "While it may lack a narrative punch, Alcarràs captures this rural world and its heritage with a gripping sense of nostalgia for things forever gone."[23] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the film holds a score of 85 out of 100 based on 19 reviews indicating “universal acclaim.”[24]

Reviewing for The Telegraph, Tim Robey rated the film with 5 out of 5 stars, considering that the film "manages a light, improvisatory mastery, an immaculate hold on tone, and a grave yet sunlit tableau of an ending, with each one of these faces turned in collective mourning, that I'll never forget".[25] Fionnuala Halligan of ScreenDaily wrote that Alcarràs constitutes a "profoundly authentic and moving contemplation of the fragility of family, and, again, childhood" considering the film to have "all the hallmarks of a very specific film with emotionally wide appeal, a thoughtful essay which can also rattle and hum".[9]

Guy Lodge of Variety considered that Alcarràs confirmed "the strength and consistency of Simón's directorial voice" after Summer 1993, also writing that it "balances a bristling political conscience against its tenderly observed domestic drama".[26] Writing for Little White Lies, Caitlin Quinlan considered that the film "strikes a deft balance between idyllic reminiscence and melancholy for a cherished place", while also "delivering a poignant tale about the impact of industrial development on agriculture".[27] Sergi Sánchez of Fotogramas considered that Simón gets to "translate into images what many neorealist filmmakers pursued unceasingly": "Truth, this time of a changing space and time, which appeals to the collective without losing the thread of the individual".[28]

In August 2022, it was announced that Alcarràs was one of the three films shortlisted to be the Spanish entry for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards alongside Rodrigo Sorogoyen's The Beasts and Alauda Ruiz de Azúa's Lullaby.[29] Alcarràs ultimately was the official submission for the category.

Top ten lists

The film appeared on a number of critics' top ten lists of the best European films of 2022:

  • 1st — Cineuropa (Camillo De Marco)[30]
  • 1st — Cineuropa (Jesús Silva)[30]
  • 6th — Cineuropa (Mariana Hristova)[30]
  • 7th — Cineuropa (Júlia Olmo)[30]
  • 8th — Cineuropa (David González)[30]
  • 9th — Cineuropa (Birgit Heidsiek)[30]

In addition, it also appeared on top ten lists of the best Spanish films of 2022:

Accolades
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Berlin Film Festival 20 February 2022 Golden Bear Carla Simón Won [39]
Sydney Film Festival 19 June 2022 Sydney Film Prize Alcarràs Nominated [40]
San Sebastián International Film Festival 24 September 2022 Lurra Greenpeace Award Won [41]
European Film Awards 10 December 2022 Best Film Nominated [42]
Best Screenwriter Arnau Vilaró and Carla Simón Nominated
European University Film Award Alcarràs Nominated [43]
Forqué Awards 17 December 2022 Best Film Nominated [44][45]
Cinema and Education in Values Nominated
Palm Springs International Film Festival 16 January 2023 Best International Feature Film Nominated [46]
Best International Screenplay Arnau Vilaró, Carla Simón Won
Gaudí Awards 22 January 2023 Best FilmWon [47]
Best DirectorCarla SimónWon
Best New PerformanceAlbert BoschNominated
Xènia RosetNominated
Best Supporting ActressBerta PipóNominated
Montse OróNominated
Best Supporting ActorJosep AbadNominated
Best Original ScreenplayCarla Simón, Arnau VilaróWon
Best Production SupervisionElisa SirventWon
Best EditingAna PfaffNominated
Best Original ScoreAndrea KochNominated
Best CinematographyDaniela CajíasNominated
Best Costume DesignAnna AguilàNominated
Best SoundEva Valiño, Thomas Giorgi, Alejandro CastilloNominated
Feroz Awards 28 January 2023 Best Drama Film Alcarràs Nominated [48]
Best Director Carla Simón Won
Best Screenplay Carla Simón, Arnau Vilaró Nominated
Carmen Awards 4 February 2023 Best Non-Andalusian Film Nominated [49][50]
CEC Medals 6 February 2023 Best FilmNominated [51]
Best DirectorCarla SimónNominated
Best Supporting ActressBerta PipóNominated
Best New ActorAlbert BoschWon
Best New ActressAnna OtínNominated
Best Original ScreenplayArnau Vilaró, Carla SimónNominated
Best CinematographyDaniela CajíasNominated
Best EditingAna PfaffNominated
Goya Awards 11 February 2023 Best Film Nominated[52]
Best DirectorCarla SimónNominated
Best Original ScreenplayArnau Vilaró, Carla SimónNominated
Best New ActressAnna OtínNominated
Best New ActorAlbert BoschNominated
Jordi Pujol DoncetNominated
Best CinematographyDaniela CajíasNominated
Best EditingAna PfaffNominated
Best SoundEva Valiño, Thomas Giorgi, Alejandro CastilloNominated
Best Art DirectionMónica BernuyNominated
Best Production SupervisionElisa SirventNominated
Platino Awards 22 April 2023 Best Ibero-American Film Alcarràs Nominated [53]
Best DirectorCarla SimónNominated
Best CinematographyDaniela CajíasNominated
Rolling Stone en Español Awards 26 October 2023 Fiction Feature Film of the Year Alcarràs Pending [54]
Direction of the Year Carla Simón Pending

See also

References
  1. "Alcarràs". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  2. "Alcarràs". Berlinale. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  3. Llumà, Xavi Serra, Núria Juanico (16 February 2022). "Historic triumph for Carla Simón: first Catalan Golden Bear at Berlin Film Festival". Ara in English. Retrieved 16 February 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. Martínez, Beatriz (13 September 2022). "'Alcarràs', de Carla Simón, representará a España en los Oscar". El Periódico de Catalunya.
  5. Silvestre, Juan (2 June 2021). "Carla Simón arranca el rodaje de 'Alcarràs'". Fotogramas.
  6. "Dos películas participadas por RTVE competirán en la Sección Oficial de la Berlinale: 'Un año, una noche' y 'Alcarràs'". RTVE. 19 January 2022.
  7. "Família i terra a "Alcarràs", segon llargmetratge de Carla Simón". Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals. 6 August 2021.
  8. Boquerini (7 June 2021). "Tras un año de espera Carla Simón rueda ya 'Alcarràs'". El Correo. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  9. Halligan, Fionnuala (15 February 2022). "'Alcarras': Berlin review". ScreenDaily.
  10. "La coproducció de TV3 "Alcarràs" i "Un año, una noche", amb participació, competiran en la secció oficial de la Berlinale". Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals. 19 January 2022.
  11. Belinchón, Gregorio (19 January 2022). "Isaki Lacuesta y Carla Simón concursarán en la Berlinale". El País.
  12. López, María Paz (16 February 2022). "La malenconiosa oda a l'agricultura de la pel·lícula 'Alcarràs' captiva a Berlín". La Vanguardia. Tot això està expressat en un català amb rigorós accent de Ponent. La pronunciació és meravellosament genuïna, ja que tots els actors són de la comarca, escollits en un càsting entre 9.000 persones
  13. Martínez, Beatriz (26 July 2021). "'Alcarràs', el desafío de Carla Simón entre melocotoneros". El Periódico de Catalunya.
  14. "Carla Simón, Daniel Guzmán, Jota Linares, Juan Miguel del Castillo e Imanol Uribe competirán en el 25º Festival de Málaga". Audiovisual451. 17 February 2022.
  15. "'Alcarràs' de Carla Simón participará fuera de concurso en el 25 Festival de Málaga". Festival de Málaga. 17 February 2022.
  16. Martínez, Beatriz (19 March 2022). "Ovación a Carla Simón y su milagrosa 'Alcarràs' en el Festival de Málaga". El Periódico de Catalunya.
  17. Martínez, Beatriz; Casas, Quim (29 April 2022). "Las críticas de cine de la semana: 'Alcarràs', 'Dónde está Anne Frank', 'X' y 'Amor de madre'". El Periódico de España.
  18. Martínez, Beatriz (2 May 2022). "'Alcarràs' cosecha casi 60.000 espectadores en su primer fin de semana". El Periódico de Catalunya.
  19. D'Antoni, Filippo (29 May 2022). "'Alcarrás', la recensione del film Orso d'oro a Berlino". taxidrivers.it.
  20. Goldsmith, Jill (9 August 2022). "New York Film Festival Sets Main Slate For 60th Edition". Deadline Hollywood.
  21. Belinchón, Gregorio (25 August 2022). "'Alcarràs', 'Cinco lobitos' y 'As bestas', preseleccionadas por España para el Oscar". El País.
  22. "Cinema International: Alcarràs". Kolkata International Film Festival. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  23. "Alcarràs". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  24. "Alcarràs 2022". Metacritic. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  25. Robey, Tim (15 February 2022). "Alcarràs, review: this must surely win the top prize at Berlin". The Telegraph.
  26. Lodge, Guy (15 February 2022). "'Alcarràs' Review: A Farming Family Faces Change in a Beautifully Observed, Richly Inhabited Ensemble Drama". Variety.
  27. Quinlan, Caitlin (16 February 2022). "Alcarràs – first-look review". Little White Lies.
  28. Sánchez, Sergi (15 February 2022). "Crítica de Alcarràs, de Carla Simón, ganadora del Oso de Oro en Berlín 2022". Fotogramas.
  29. "'Alcarràs', 'Cinco Lobitos' y 'As bestas' son las tres películas preseleccionadas para representar a España en los premios Oscar". Público. 25 August 2022.
  30. "Cineuropa's Best of 2022". Cineuropa. 21 December 2022.
  31. "Las 10 mejores películas españolas de un 2022 para la historia". El Periódico de Catalunya. 19 December 2022.
  32. "Cine: las votaciones de nuestros críticos 2022". El Cultural. 20 December 2022 – via El Español.
  33. Mantilla, Daniel. "Las 10 mejores películas españolas de 2022". Series & Más – via El Español.
  34. Medina, Marta (15 December 2022). "Las 10 mejores películas españolas de 2022: el año más bestia del siglo XXI". El Confidencial.
  35. Blanes, P; Romero, J.; Castro, E. (23 December 2022). "Las 10 mejores películas españolas de 2022 en un año espectacular para nuestro cine". Cadena SER.
  36. Martínez, Luis (18 December 2022). "Las 10 mejores películas españolas de 2022". El Mundo.
  37. Sanguino, Juan; Rando, Paloma (28 December 2022). "Las 10 mejores películas españolas de 2022". Vanity Fair.
  38. Rodríguez Marchante, Oti (27 December 2022). "Las diez mejores películas españolas de 2022, un año de cine sobresaliente". ABC.
  39. Lodge, Guy (16 February 2022). "Spanish Drama 'Alcarràs' Wins Golden Bear at Berlin Film Festival". Variety.
  40. Jefferson, Dee (19 June 2022). "Belgian film Close, about teen male friendship, wins Sydney Film Festival's top prize". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  41. Lodge, Guy (24 September 2022). "Colombian Film 'Kings of the World' Tops San Sebastian Award Winners". Variety. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  42. Goodfellow, Melanie (8 November 2022). "'Close', 'Holy Spider' & 'Triangle Of Sadness' Lead European Film Awards Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  43. "Five Films Nominated for European University Film Award (EUFA)". European Film Academy. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  44. "Alcarràs', 'Cinco lobitos', 'As bestas' y 'Modelo 77', finalistas en los Premios Forqué". rtve.es. 7 November 2022.
  45. "'As bestas' triunfa en los Forqué y pone al rojo vivo la lucha por los Goya". rtve.es. 17 December 2022.
  46. Haring, Bruce (15 January 2023). "'Saint Omer' Takes Top Honors At 34th Palm Springs Film Festival". Deadline. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  47. "Totes les nominacions als Gaudí 2023: llista completa". El Periódico de Catalunya. 14 December 2022.
  48. Gualda, Lucía (29 January 2023). "Premios Feroz, en directo: los premiados a mejor película, mejor serie y mejor actriz y actor protagonistas". Vanitatis – via El Confidencial.
  49. Martínez, Evaristo (14 December 2022). "'Controverso' opta a dos Carmen, que anuncian sus candidatos desde Almería". La Voz de Almería.
  50. "Modelo 77 triunfa en los Carmen: Así ha quedado el palmarés". Ideal. Grupo Vocento. 5 February 2023.
  51. "'As bestas' y 'Cinco lobitos', las más nominadas a las Medallas CEC". Cine con Ñ. 15 December 2022.
  52. "'As bestas' es la favorita de los Premios Goya del relevo generacional: listado de nominaciones". Cinemanía. 1 December 2022 – via 20minutos.es.
  53. Rosado, Ricardo (9 March 2023). "PREMIOS PLATINO 2023: 'ARGENTINA, 1985' ENCABEZA LAS NOMINACIONES DE LA X EDICIÓN". Fotogramas (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  54. Raygoza, Isabella (11 August 2023). "Bad Bunny & Rosalía Lead Rolling Stone En Español Award Nominations: Complete List". Billboard. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
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