Afternoons of Solitude
Albert Serra trains a patient and poetic lens on the dazzling pomp and devastating brutality of bullfighting in his new documentary portrait of torero Andrés Roca Rey, expertly balancing the visceral thrill of the battle inside the ring, pitting animal instinct against human technique, with a meditative filmmaking style.
Catalan filmmaker Albert Serra (Pacifiction, NYFF60) trains a patient and poetic lens on the dazzling pomp and devastating brutality of bullfighting in his new documentary portrait of the charismatic Peruvian-born star torero Andrés Roca Rey. Intensely in-the-moment, Afternoons of Solitude expertly balances the visceral thrill of the battle inside the ring, pitting animal instinct against human technique, with a meditative filmmaking style that allows the viewer to appreciate the emotional and physical toll the violence takes on both man and beast. Unflinching yet reflective, Serra’s film is a monumental depiction of the persistence of the primitive in the present day, while acknowledging the extraordinary skill of the man who puts his life and spiritual endurance at risk as he faces down rampaging nature. A Grasshopper Film release. An NYFF62 Spotlight selection.
Critic's Pick. 'Serra’s mastery of mood in the film builds on an iconoclastic career.'”
—Nicolas Rapold, The New York Times
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