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‘Saturn’ review’: Transilvania non-fiction winner paints complex portrait of fractured Spanish family

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Dir/scr: Daniel Tornero. Spain. 2024. 96mins

A damaged household struggles to heal in Saturn, an intense, deeply private characteristic debut from Spanish director Daniel Tornero. The fallout from shattering revelations about Tornero’s grandfather prompts the filmmaker to create this portrait of advanced intergenerational trauma. The query of what it means to be father is a continuing all through. Profitable the What’s Up, Doc? prize at Transilvania marks one other step on a considerable competition journey for an assured and enthralling documentary.

Tornero is delicate to the problems tearing on the cloth of his household

In 2018, Tornero’s grandfather was arrested for youngster abuse and tried kidnap. He was given a 12-year jail sentence and, when the movie begins, is awaiting the results of his attraction. Tornero’s grandfather continues to be alive, however there’s an air of bereavement that hangs over the movie. The household collect on the nation dwelling of Tornero’s grandmother (no-one known as by identify on display) and it feels as if they’re nonetheless coming to phrases with the lack of somebody who was as soon as held pricey and is now thought-about a monster. Papers burn on an open fireplace, suggestive of a lot that has turned to ashes.

The household dwelling has the looks of someplace deserted and haunted by reminiscences of higher occasions. Cinematographer Carlos Guijarro grounds the movie in bleak rural landscapes and gloomy interiors. The temper is sombre as Tornero lets the digicam relaxation on people, particularly his personal father. A collection of conversations enable family to discover their emotions in the direction of their fallen idol. Do they hate him or might they nonetheless discover it of their hearts to like him? Tornero’s grandmother has unequivocal emotions of contempt. His father is rather more conflicted, fearful that he could also be reduce from the identical fabric, in the way in which his monetary generosity to his kids was an alternative choice to his lack of emotional availability or love.

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The digicam typically stays fastened on an anguished particular person as they’re drawn into prolonged conversations. The gaze is unflinching and virtually cruel because it pins them down. There are such a lot of unanswered questions for the entire household round guilt, consciousness, self reproach and regrets. At one level, they belatedly contemplate their duty to the victims.

Whereas the primary third of the movie is a couple of man who’s mentioned however by no means seen, later Tornero provides his grandfather his second in entrance of the digicam. The result’s chilling and totally compelling, as we encounter an 80-year-old man who exhibits no regret for what he has accomplished and tries to form an outrageous narrative by which he’s the sufferer. He stays satisfied that he won’t ever be despatched to jail. Tornero’s resolution simply to let him speak offers a outstanding self-portrait of bluster, defiance and manipulation.

Saturn takes its title from the Goya portray ’Saturn Devouring His Son’, by which the Roman god eats the kids that may sooner or later overthrow him. The movie confronts the connections between the generations in each the connection between Tornero’s father and grandfather, and between Tornero’s youthful brother Jesus and their father. There’s a concern of historical past repeating. Tornero’s father is burdened by the concern he has failed his kids, and that the affect of his disgraced father has been inescapable.

Tornero is delicate to the problems tearing on the cloth of his household, fastidiously capturing the way in which by which consciousness grows and attitudes change as they arrive to phrases with what occurred. The starvation for understanding and the potential of change carry hope in even the darkest circumstances.

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