Tierra (1996)

Directed by: Julio Medem | 125 minutes | drama, romance | Actors: Carmelo Gómez, Emma Suárez, Karra Elejalde, Silke, Nancho Novo, Txema Blasco, Ane Sánchez, Juan José Suárez, Ricardo Amador, César Vea, Pepe Viyuela, Alicia Agut, Miguel Palenzuela, Vicente Haro, Adelfina Serrano

Julio Medem loves to connect different storylines and characters in the strangest and most accidental way. ‘Lucía y el sexo’ and ‘Los amantes del círculo polar’ are excellent examples of this, with their connections, meetings and coincidences. The symbolism of cosmos and universe that can be found in Medem’s films, however, indicates that coincidence does not exist in this world at all. In his films, everything seems determined in the universe for a long time; written in the stars.

It is no different in ‘Tierra’: all events and characters are connected in different ways and the cosmos plays an important role, but unlike the aforementioned films, Medem does not succeed in making the mysticism credible in ‘Tierra’. to hold. It’s too thick on top, which starts with main character Angel, who, as his name suggests, seems to have some kind of otherworldly gifts, or at least would like to. In reality, he was a psychiatric patient, who with his ‘hyperactive imagination’ has meanwhile created a second personality, an alter-ego with whom he is constantly at odds. To some extent you can go along with this and the quirks work in Angel’s favour, but over time he starts to get bored and his strange choices and mysterious comments even start to get on his nerves. This despite the beautiful performance of Carmelo Gómez, who, like the other actors, many from Medem’s permanent stock, make the film pleasant to watch. This is enhanced by the powerful visual language and beautiful colors that Medem uses. The symbolism is portrayed in a subtle and original way at times, such as during the close-up of Angel’s face with the two women on either side in the background, between whom he cannot choose. Also through smooth editing, many moments are made clear in an original way.

Aesthetically and cinematographically, there is little to criticize about ‘Tierra’, but Julio Medem has proven in other films that he can also add a better script, a real story, in which the mysticism and symbolism do not fill in but complement. serve.