AFTERNOONS OF SOLITUDE
[TARDES DE SOLEDAD]
In his mesmerizing latest film, uncompromising Catalan filmmaker Albert Serra (PACIFICTION, AFI FEST 2022) enters the Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza in Seville, Spain, with established contemporary bullfighter Andrés Roca Rey to construct a documentary portrait teeming with confrontations. A primitive, brutal and highly ritualized custom, each corrida de toros will see the violent death of either the bullfighter or the bull. In the van to and from the event — and in extended sequences of the bullfight itself, frequently shot in close-up — brutality is beauty, masculinity is pageantry, fear is respect and tradition is the performance. Contributing another fantastic exaltation of excess, Serra’s tremendously engaging, though patient, documentary treats its audience to an astonishing and visceral experience, wherein preconceived notions of bullfighting are irrelevant when our tormented hero is face-to-face with death. Brimming with intense emotion and exhilaration, AFTERNOONS OF SOLITUDE is an unforgettable examination of a centuries-old conflict between human skill and animal nature. (Note courtesy of AFI FEST.) DIR/SCR/PROD Albert Serra; PROD Montse Triola, Luis Ferrón, Pedro Palacios, Ricard Sales. Spain/France/Portugal, 2024, color, 125 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Run Time: 125 Minutes
Opening Date: Sunday, June 01, 2025
Genre: Documentary