An arsonist, Amador, is released on parole after two years in prison and returns to his hometown of Galacia, where his mother, Benedicta, is caring for three cows. The mother greets her son with a solemn welcome. One day, he gets help from veterinarian Elena to pull a cow from a river. There is only awkward silence between Amador and Elena, because he’s not good at greeting thanks. When Elena returns to the farm to examine the cow, Benedicta shows her concerns about is worried about his son who will be left alone if she dies.
Meanwhile, Amador cannot understand the neighbors who are eager to develop forests to attract tourists. He’s not happy that exotic eucalyptus trees grow in the forests of his hometown. A wild fire. The animals run away, the residents are forced to be evacuated. Firefighters and volunteers are busy extinguishing the fire. Why is everything that dies so beautiful? Like Olivier LAXE’s previous works, documentary-style images dominate the entire work, and the natural performance of nonprofessional actors gives it realism. The entire crew waited for a whole season to shoot an actual wild fire, and the super 16mm camera truly and beautifully captures the wild yet fertile beauty of Galicia. It won the Jury Prize in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival. (Jinhae Park)