The ‘Coast of Death’ is the stretch of Galician coast in the extreme north-west of Spain. Centuries ago, Roman legionnaires marched to the town of Finisterre to watch the sun sink into the underworld here. On misty days or during heavy storms, the end of the world can seem nigh. Shipwrecks on the Atlantic Ocean are frequent along this rocky coastline.
Spanish director Lois Patiño has made an impressive film essay on the Coast of Death, with stunning, tranquil, extremely contemplative images of man and nature; of the fishermen, beachcombers and woodcutters; of the sea; of the rocks, the trees and the wind. The locals tell their personal, intimate stories, which are given an additional charge by the long history of this legendary landscape.
The incredibly peaceful sequence in which the water rises and falls, rises and falls in a channel could be seen as a homage to James Benning’s Casting a Glance (2007).
Film details
- Country of production
- Spain
- Year
- 2013
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2014
- Length
- 84'
- Medium/Format
- DCP
