When a Tree Falls (Amama)

(Amama)
Asier Altuna | Drama, Fiction

2015 | 103 minutes | Spain

This powerfully visualized drama of generational conflict signals the emergence of a vital Basque regional cinema in Spain.

Basque Studies Family Sociology Religion + Spirituality Visual Arts Basque Studies Culture + Identity
Synopsis

This powerfully visualized drama of generational conflict signals the emergence of a vital Basque regional cinema in Spain.

The crux of the film is a farm, spectacularly situated in the mountainous northeast, that has remained in the same family for countless generations. But, when the eldest son and heir apparent, like so many of the region’s young people, decamps to the city, the burden passes to his sister Amaia (Elias), an artist whose progressive ways place her at odds with her rigidly traditionalist father (Aranga).

The film’s title, which means "Grandma" in Basque, refers to the family matriarch who will play a pivotal role in Amaia’s attempt to bridge the divide between tradition and evolution. - Gene Siskel Film Center

Reviews

"If you want to be thoughtfully melancholy for a couple of hours in the presence of images of striking beauty, watch Amama." — Jonathan Holland, The Hollywood Reporter

"An intense generation gap drama set in a remote area of northern Spain's Basque Country, Asier Altuna's visually sumptuous second feature about a family's struggle to break loose from its past is sometimes ponderous but more often poetic, rolling with a slow cumulative power which means that by the end, most early doubts about hollow pretentiousness have been dispelled." — Jonathan Holland, The Hollywood Reporter

Citation
Main credits

Altuna, Asier (film director)
Altuna, Asier (screenwriter)
Fernández Pascal, Marian (film producer)
Esnal, Telmo (screenwriter)
Uranga, Kandido (actor)
Elias, Iraia (actor)
Badiola, Amparo (actor)
Badiola, Klara (actor)

Other credits

Cinematography, Javier Agirre Erauso; editor, Laurent Dufreche; music, Mursego, Javi P3Z.


Citation
Cataloging
Keywords
matriarchy, basque, Basque Country, independent cinema, spanish, spanish language, latin america, latin american cinema, latin american film, ibero america, latin, latinx, latino, latina,,basque country, basque studies, basque language, basque, basques, vascos, vasco, vascongado, euskara, euskera, aquitani,family, kin, fellowship, household, immediate family, extended family, multigenerational family, multigenerational household, kinfolk, family tree, genealogy, nuclear family, modern family, family tree,culture, identity, identity politics, culture wars, left wing, right wing, intersectionality, identity groups, civilization, literacy, humanism, cancel culture, online culture, cultural revolution, cultural diffusion, culture shock, popular culture, pop culture, material culture, cultural capital, cultural assimilation ,religion, spirituality, organized religion, soul, spiritual beliefs, religious beliefs, belief systems, branches of religion, religious sects, sects, gods and goddesses, monotheism, theism, pantheism, polytheism, spiritual awakening,visual arts, painting, drawing, printmaking, filmmaking, craft, crafts, architecture, ceramics, photography, video, videomaking, film, conceptual art, installation art, art exhibits, artmaking, photos, videography, sculpting, sculpture, theatre, theater, music, musicmaking, music performance, art styles, art history, plastic arts, fine art, fine arts, visual arts centers, visual arts education, jewelry, jewelrymaking, beaux arts, graphic arts, graphic design, abstract art, art galleries, art gallerist, galleries, gallery, gallerist, gallerists, illustration,amama,basque,trees,when a tree falls,cuando un arbol cae,Three Strangers,dangerous when wet,hidden life of trees,family farms,family disfunction,if a tree falls,goya,tree,goya award,A mama,fall,the mar inside,tree of life,amami,elia suleiman,goya awards,san sebastian,comedies in spanish,family drama,If a tree alls,elia,"when a tree falls",foreign films,sicko,amana,SAN FRANCISCO,farming,A Tree Falls.,holland,eating animals,when night falls,sacred,the tree of life,Agnieszka Holland,ammama; "When a Tree Falls"; Pragda; narrative; Basque; Spain; ; drama
Clips
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Festivals

Goya Awards® - Nominated, Best Newcomer Actress
San Sebastián Film Festival
Cinemed Montpellier Festival of Mediterranean Cinema
Cinemamed Festival Mediterraneen de Bruxelles
Tallin Black Nights Film Festival
Mar del Plata International Film Festival

DIRECTOR: Asier Altuna

NATIONALITY: Spain

YEAR: 2015

GENRE: Drama, Fiction

LANGUAGE: Basque

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: College, Adults

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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