112. The Cow Who Sang A Song Into The Future (La vaca que cantó una canción hacia el futuro); movie review

 

THE COW WHO SANG A SONG INTO THE FUTURE (LA VACA QUE CANTÓ UNA CANCIÓN HACIA EL FUTURO)

Cert 15

99 mins

BBFC advice: Contains suicide reference

Simply the title The Cow Who Song A Song Into The Future offers the clue that the movie will not follow convention.

The opening scenes of dead fish on a river bank and a women emerging from the water wearing a motorcycle helmet confirm that it will be a surreal ride.

It is my belief that some films are akin to poetry - they need a discussion group to unravel the intentions of the writer(s).

I can certainly imagine students poring over Francisca Alegria's picture which tackles important issues from very unusual angles.

It transpires that the biker (Mía Maestro) killed herself many years previously but has come back to life.

Further details emerge of how she walked out on her family but questions remain over why.

And now she is back among them, why is she sending all electronic devices crazy and why does one of the cows from the family's dairy keep turning up in strange places.

I found The Cow Who Sang A Song Into The Future strangely alluring on two levels.

Firstly, I was intrigued by the fractured family, especially the biker's relationship with her daughter (Leonor Varela) and her trans grandchild (Enzo Ferrada Rosati).

Secondly, there is the issue of the environment and dumping chemicals into the water streams.

Alegria has said that the film was inspired by the unexplained death of thousands of fish in a river in Chile in 2017.

She weaves a magnetic but weird story from that starting point.

It won't be for everyone but I was impressed by the performances and was left wanting to see more of Alegria's work.

Reasons to watch: Intriguing and offbeat

Reasons to avoid: Perplexing

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? According to the United Nations, every year in Chile, air pollution costs the health sector at least $670 million and is the root cause of the 127,000 emergency health consultations and more than 4,000 premature deaths.

The final word. Francisca Alegría: "The story speaks about very subtle topics and uses a very feminine language that can’t really be explained with words." Remezcla

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