To the Sea
Director Pedro Gonzales-Rubio
Countries Mexico
Duration 70 min
Synopsis
Unusual film in an unusual location: the Mexican coral reef Banco Chinchorro, where grandfather, father and five-year-old son spend their days fishing for crabs and snappers. In a surging rhythm, Alamar shows that nature does not always form a stark contrast to cultivated humans. In Alamar there is a striking role for the crab, the barracuda and the caiman, who have all found their habitat together with Mexican fisherman in Banco Chinchorro, the richest coral reef in Mexico. This cross-genre film - mixing documentary and fiction - rocks gently to the rhythm of the sea where the fishermen and the animals spend their days. Fishermen and prey live with each other on this coral reef, the second largest in the world, which has an intact ecosystem. One of the fishermen receives a visit from his son Jorge, who is recently divorced, and his five-year-old grandson. Building is not allowed on the islands of this nature reserve, so they live several meters off shore in huts on stilts. Every day, they dive for snappers, drink cups of coffee and maintain the fishing boat. Their life looks ideal: the days are made up of eating fish by the sea where it is caught, with wet hair from diving. Although a farewell is approaching between Jorge and his son, who is returning with his mother to Italy, that sentiment is not exploited. The contrast between this remote spot and Rome, between the wilds of nature and human civilisation, is more subtle than in many nature films. On Banco Chinchorro, humans are not the dominant species and humility graces the characters.
Unusual film in an unusual location: the Mexican coral reef Banco Chinchorro, where grandfather, father and five-year-old son spend their days fishing for crabs and snappers. In a surging rhythm, Alamar shows that nature does not always form a stark contrast to cultivated humans. In Alamar there is a striking role for the crab, the barracuda and the caiman, who have all found their habitat together with Mexican fisherman in Banco Chinchorro, the richest coral reef in Mexico. This cross-genre film - mixing documentary and fiction - rocks gently to the rhythm of the sea where the fishermen and the animals spend their days. Fishermen and prey live with each other on this coral reef, the second largest in the world, which has an intact ecosystem. One of the fishermen receives a visit from his son Jorge, who is recently divorced, and his five-year-old grandson. Building is not allowed on the islands of this nature reserve, so they live several meters off shore in huts on stilts. Every day, they dive for snappers, drink cups of coffee and maintain the fishing boat. Their life looks ideal: the days are made up of eating fish by the sea where it is caught, with wet hair from diving. Although a farewell is approaching between Jorge and his son, who is returning with his mother to Italy, that sentiment is not exploited. The contrast between this remote spot and Rome, between the wilds of nature and human civilisation, is more subtle than in many nature films. On Banco Chinchorro, humans are not the dominant species and humility graces the characters.