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First, the Recap:
Do we dare to dive into the very nature of who we are? It remains difficult at best to face up to the multitude of aspects that make up our being and cause us to pause and appraise those elements within us we do or do not accept. But, we move forward anyway, hoping that we can muster the courage to rise to the challenges, get up from the defeats, celebrate our victories, and be able to then look back with satisfaction and contentment that we are truly pleased with our sense of identity. For one woman named Elena, this road to self-realization has had its ups and downs, joy and sadness, fulfilment and restlessness, certainty and doubt, and the questioning that underscores it all as she strives to understand better how she views the world, her place in it, and even perhaps the legacy she will one day leave behind.
Next, my Mind:
Of the many explorations I feel are brought out by indie film and the filmmakers who bring them to life, there are certain ones that stick out on a consistent basis, in particular the sense of personal investment and transparency which emanates from the stories being told and the emotional passion attached to them, showcasing a true dedication to presenting art on a cinematic tapestry aimed to move the viewer in some form. This critic firmly believes that the 18-minute documentary short from writer/director Marga Almirall, screened at the 2nd Annual 2019 Berlin Illambra Experimental Film Festival held at Salon AM Moritzplatz and hosted by Illambra, displays these characteristics with a deeply individualized manner that makes one wonder if the effort isn’t actually a semi-autobiographical account of the filmmaker herself, choosing to put own her joys, angsts, and longings on screen under the guise of the film’s actual focus, based on the writings of a woman named Elena Rull Mur.
It’s a story that reflects an era, the perspective of a woman with talents and ambitions caught in a time not quite ready perhaps to accept such notions, even Elena struggles with the relationship she enters and the cultural, religious, and societal pressures placed upon her that it seems she might cave to on some levels, yet resist strongly on others. The tempestuous nature of these conflicts leads her down roads that are filled with battling depression and having to question everything she believes in, how the elements around her tell her to be one way while she longs to be another, cocooned in standards and expectations of the day while desiring to achieve both family and personal accomplishment via utilization of her talents. Was it her upbringing? Was it her schooling? Was it her broken marriage? It’s all under scrutiny, reflecting a person in turmoil, seeking that light, that freedom, that unfettered happiness we all long for, but yet watching it remain just outside her grasp. Still, by the film’s finale, might there be a glimmer of hope portrayed?
Despite what could be seen as a heavier exhibition of constant upheaval, the film isn’t necessarily that as much as an image of the age it takes place in while keeping the themes relevant to the plight of women that could still be applied in this contemporary time we reside. There’s a vulnerability to it that is quite stirring, but still paints a picture of strength even in strife on Elena’s part, helping us believe she ultimately found that better path with family and additional successes. The film employs home movies and other assorted images to portray Elena’s universe, and it does so with purposeful weight and execution, again a mirror of the time it’s all taking place in and going beyond just Elena’s own path, but also follows the atmosphere present during said periods she confronts her myriad of emotional state of being. It’s a diverse glimpse into a person’s life through their own eyes and convictions, at it lends the grounded, relatable feel to the proceedings.
So, in total, “Elena Universo” is another example of the strongly human touch and presence that exudes from independent filmmakers who aren’t hesitant to put even more private facets of either themselves or others out there, not to invade anyone’s solitude of seclusion, but to simply show the composition of the world and the people who make it what it is that we all might have a better comprehension of how they, and we, can find our places in it.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
