Spanish Film Festival 2023: Alcarràs

This film is set in Alcarràs, Catalonia where an extended family is evicted from their farm because the owner wants to install solar panels. The use of the farm and its harvest had been promised back in the Spanish Civil War, when the farming family saved the life of the landowner, but now that his grandson is in charge, the promise is broken. They are allowed to have one last summer harvest, and this is the story of that harvest. The ultimatum splinters the family, some of whom take on jobs installing the panels, while others protest the takeover of rich agricultural land. It was beautifully filmed, but a bit slow. Interestingly, none of the actors had been in films previously, which resulted in a very natural, but rather stilted movie.