Alamar

2009 Drama

A young boy and his father learn about living in harmony with nature in this languid drama from filmmaker Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio. A man from Mexico (Jorge Machado) travels to Italy and falls in love with a beautiful local woman (Roberta Palombini). Their feelings for one another are strong, but they prove to be short lived, and when they decide to beak up after the birth of their son Natan, he returns to Mexico while she stays in Italy and takes primary custody of the child. However, the father strives to remain a presence in his son's life, and the boy visits his father at least once a year. As the five-year-old Natan travels to Mexico, his father has joined the family' fishing operation near the coral reefs of Banco Chinchorro. Living in an elevated cottage near the shore, Natan and his family devote their summer to an idyllic existence, spending their days catching the plentiful fish and observing the wildlife, and their nights sitting by the fire and admiring the stars. To the father, this simple life teaches an important lesson of existing in peace with the natural world, and Natan comes to see himself as being as much a part of this environment as the fish, the waterfowl and the seaweed. Alamar (aka To The Sea) was the first solo directorial credit for cinematographer Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio. more..

Director: Pedro González-Rubio

Starring: Jorge Machado, Natan Machado Palombini, Roberta Palombini, Nestor Marin

Reviews

  • The characters in Alamar may be playing versions of themselves, but the writer, editor and director Pedro González-Rubio has constructed a film in which the journey has an overarching mythic resonance that evokes fables from "Robinson Crusoe" to "The Old Man and the Sea."

    Stephen Holden - The New York Times

    28 May 2013

  • It is to González-Rubio's credit that he can celebrate nature so joyously, yet suggest neither the preferred lifestyle of either parent is superior to the other.

    Kevin Thomas - Los Angeles Times

    28 May 2013

  • A lovely, soulful feature from multihyphenate Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio that plays on the border between documentary and fiction.

    - Variety

    28 May 2013

  • A joyous exploration of family life that will touch and surprise.

    David Parkinson - Empire

    28 May 2013

  • Nature smiles upon Alamar, just as it did on the simple, unfussy charms of "The Black Stallion" some 30 years ago.

    Joshua Rothkopf - Time Out New York

    28 May 2013

Awards

  • Best Foreign Film, Spanish Language (Mejor Película Iberoamericana)

    Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards (2012)

     
  • Best First Work (Mejor Ópera Prima)

    Ariel Awards, Mexico (2011)

     
  • Pedro González-Rubio

    Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (2010)

  • Best Film (Mejor Película)

    Cartagena Film Festival (2010)

     
  • Pedro González-Rubio

    Lima Latin American Film Festival (2010)