GAZE: Almamula (+ Pre-Feature Short)

CLUB 18+142 min

FEATURE:

ALMAMULA Director Luis de Filippis, Canada/Switzerland, 2022, 1hr 36m

“He’s not the first boy missing in the forest...” Beware the Almamula... This deeply atmospheric queer drama from Argentina creeps towards the precipice of horror with captivating results. On the brink of adolescence, young Nino – gentle and bemused – is queer-bashed in his hometown, yet the blame is placed on him for his supposedly unsettling influence. His family retreats to a small town for a fresh start but it’s only the beginning of their woes and discomfort. As the forest at the edge of town seems to assert an unnatural hold over the townsfolk, Nino hears tell of Almamula, a mythological creature from Argentinian folklore that supposedly wreaks punishment on those who are impure in thought and deed. Director Juan Sebastián Torales weaves a fairy tale-like spell in this totally original coming-of-age narrative. Nicolás Díaz as Nino possesses a compelling screen presence that belies his age and is the cautious mystified centre of this delightfully dark voyage into fear, adulthood, religious control, and burgeoning desire.

Director’s Pick: “Almamula was my highlight from an extremely high-quality selection at this year’s Berlinale. The audience was transfixed from the outset and the beautiful yet eerie quality of Torales’ cinematography demands to be experienced on a big screen. Unsettling pristine filmmaking.” – Greg Thorpe, Festival Director, GAZE

PRE-FEATURE SHORT:

Cracks Will Come Dir. Daniel Mateo Vallejo / Colombia / 2023 / 18m

Keisi is forbidden from being their true self in their service job at an art gallery, but the line between this institution and their identity begins to blur in Keisi’s fantasies of art and nature.