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Synopsis

Pedro González-Rubio’s fine second feature treads a thin and immensely rewarding line between documentary and fiction. After a brief but passionate marriage, Jorge (Jorge Machado) and Roberta (Roberta Palombini) have amicably separated and returned to their respective lives: he as a fisherman on Mexico’s Chinchorro coral reef, she as an urban professional preparing to return to Rome. Before she departs, she agrees to allow their five-year-old son Natan (Natan Machado Palombini) to spend the summer with Jorge on the reef so that the boy can learn about his origins. Living simply in a wooden palafite (a shack constructed on stakes) in front of the quay, father and son spend their days fishing, snorkelling and exploring the astonishing variety of flora and fauna on Chinchorro, one of the few places in the Mexican Caribbean with an intact ecosystem. Setting the charmingly low-keyed story of father-son bonding against the overwhelming beauty of sea and jungle, González-Rubio crafts a delicate and moving little gem of a film and an hymn to our ever more fragile planet.

A.P.

Wybrane festiwale i nagrody/Selected festivals and awards: 2009 – MFF Toronto, 2009 - MFF Rotterdam, Nagroda Tiger Award/IFF Rotterdam, Tiger Award, 2009 - MFF Berlinale, 2009 - MFF Morela, Nagroda dla Najlepszego Filmu Meksykańskiego/ Morela IFF Best Mexican Film Award, 2009 – MFF Miami, Nagroda Jury/Miami IFF, Jury Award.