Criticism of ‘Suro’, drama in the cork oak forest

With surprising maturity for a newcomer, Mikel Gurrea builds a devastating chronicle about the disintegration of that supposedly happy Arcadia. How the construction of the promised paradise by a couple with ideals gives way to a power struggle in which façade progressivism is in evidence and gender roles are mutating. in a clearing crescendothe tape, devoid of all romanticism, grows huge before the astonished gaze of the viewer knowing that the time bomb will explode at any moment.

And at the same time that the extraction of these layers of cork exposes the contradictions of the leading couple –prodigious Vicky Luengo and Pol López–, Gurrea puts on the table social issues that cook and enrich the story even more: xenophobia within the working class itself, job insecurity, power relations or class privileges, and it does so without letting it become a thesis film where glances and silences become extremely important. Of course, all before the fire that will bring that Tramuntana capable of taking them (us) to the mountains of madness takes everything ahead, and it is already too late.

For those who still idealize rural life: nothing is as they paint it

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DATA SHEET

Address: Mikel Gurrea Distribution: Vicky Luengo, Pol López, Ilyass El Ouahdani Country: Spain Year: 2022 Release date: 2–12-2022 Gender: Drama Script: Mikel Gurrea, Francisco Kosterlitz Duration: 116 min.

Synopsis: Helena and Iván set out to build a new life in the cork oak forests, but their differing views on how to live on land emerge, challenging their future as a couple.