Asier and I
(Asier eta Biok)
Aitor Merino, Amaia Merino | Documentary
2013 | 93 minutes | Ecuador, Spain
Asier and I follows Aitor as he ties to understand what could have led his childhood friend to join the terrorist group ETA. Armed with a camera, Aitor meets Asier upon his release from jail, ready to tell this story.
Synopsis
Asier and I tells the story of the friendship between Aitor and Asier Aranguren from their time growing up together in the conflict-affected and politicized eighties of the Basque Country. Eventually, Aitor moved to Madrid to pursue his dream of becoming an actor, and Asier joined the terrorist group ETA. Years later, Asier was arrested and interned in a French prison, where he was detained for eight years.
When Asier was released in 2010, Aitor wanted to recover his relationship with his childhood friend and try to understand what could have led to him to join ETA, so he went to his release in France with a camera in order to tell this story.
Beyond the story of Asier, Aitor, and the Basque conflict, the film raises universal questions: can we justify blood crimes on the name of an ideal? Can friendship transcend ideology and political extremism?
Narrated with humor and cinematographic devices such as direct address, Asier and I does an excellent job at keeping the spectator engaged throughout the film. The documentary remained in Spanish theaters for an impressive four months.
Reviews
"In light of the increase in political terrorism in our world today this film is particularly relevant to several subject areas. Students, faculty, and citizens interested in how terrorism and violence may be internalized and become an accepted way of responding to the need for political change may find this film a beneficial part of their discussion. Moreover, the case of Asier and Aitor serve as valuable inspiration in helping to resolve identity in pro social ways. Highly Recommended." — Malcolm L. Rigsby, Department of Sociology, Human Services, & Criminal Justice, Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, Anthropological Review Databse
"Has the courage to expose very difficult issues to whomever wants to learn of their merits and weaknesses." — Jordi Costa, El País
"And all this is part of a careful contextualization of the film, which not only depicts the lives of its main characters, but also manages to reproduce the asphyxiating climate of the different phases of Spain, a country recently touched by terrorism." — Jose Cabello, Cine Divergente
"Asier and I strikes the perfect tone in narrating both meaningful and painful things without transforming them into an existentialist trope...The film provokes, raises questions, and entertains at the same time." — Ivonne Guzmán, El Comercio
Citation
Main credits
Merino, Amaia (film director)
Merino, Amaia (screenwriter)
Merino, Aitor (film director)
Merino, Aitor (screenwriter)
Merino, Aitor (on-screen participant)
Other credits
Cinematography, Aitor Francisco Merino; editor, Amaia Merino; music, Alex Alvear, Alicia Alemán.
Citation
Cataloging
Pragda subjects
Basque Studies
Criminal Justice
Culture + Identity
Fascism + Repression
Human Rights
Iberian Studies
International Relations
Political Science
Sociology
Keywords
Clips
Festivals
San Sebastián Film Festival - Irizar Award to Basque Cinema
Festival Internacional de Cine de Guadalajara - Guadalajara Construye Postproduction Award
Human Rights Film Festival of Uruguay - Audience Award, Best Feature Award
DocsDF International Documentary Film Festival
Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival
DOKfest International Documentary Film Festival
DIRECTOR: Aitor Merino, Amaia Merino
NATIONALITY: Ecuador, Spain
YEAR: 2013
GENRE: Documentary
LANGUAGE: Spanish; Basque; Basque
COLOR / B&W: Color
GRADE LEVEL: High School, College, Adults
SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE
AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE
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