Edgar Neville’s The Last Horse is considered the most neorealist of all his works. But while it’s true that some of the more obvious aspects of that movement show through, this film is no mere throwback. Its humorous, thought-provoking thrust directly engages with the way things really are in Spain, specifically in Madrid, which, swept along by the changes wrought by modernization, sheds its traditions rapidly and thoughtlessly. The Last Horse is a stroll through Madrid on the brink of a makeover that changed both the city’s outer appearance as well as the lifestyles of those who live there—in particular Fernando, recently discharged from the army, which has decided to put down his faithful horse Bucéfalo.

Screening with:

Mystery / Misterio
Chema García Ibarra, Spain, 2013, DCP, 12m
Spanish with English subtitles
Trini takes care of her family, just like the other women in her depressing, working-class neighborhood, but she believes her situation is temporary. Soon enough, something or somebody will get her out of there.