The Sky, the Earth and the Rain 2007

A poetic meditation on solitude, this masterful debut frames its characters within the imposing, rugged setting of a rural coastal area in Chile. The natural elements, captured in striking painterly compositions, and an understated soundtrack are deployed to reflect the inner states of the film‘s protagonists. Ana, a withdrawn young woman, divides her time between her job at a store and caring for her invalid mother. She traverses forest and fields, lost in the landscape, as she goes about her daily routine, occasionally spending time with her friend Veronica and the latter‘s troubled sister, Marta. After she is fired, Ana finds work cleaning for Toro, a taciturn orchardist, as lonely as she is. Emotion, not plot, is at the core of this accomplished film, whose meticulous formalism invites viewers to flesh out backstory, while contemplating the minute transformations wrought by time upon the characters. — SR