THE STRANGER´S LAND
Director Xavier Marrades
Countries Spain, United States
Duration 86 min
Synopsis
"The Stranger’s Land” is a personal documentary about my return to my hometown, Cervera, after a very long absence. It consists of a recollection of different moments, people, and landscapes I encountered during a five-month stay. Everything was mostly shot by me. An HD camera, a tripod, and a couple of mics were practically all the equipment that I used. The modus operandi of the shooting was determined by my instincts. I chose my subjects based on the emotional impact they had on me at every particular moment. Since Cervera is the place where I spent my childhood and where my first memories reside, the “time” factor, in all its senses, soon became a central element of the project as it unfolded. My home revealed itself like a pool of time in which I could see my reflection while at the same time I could see life itself passing by. In this way, the documentary addresses the subject of time understood as the different periods of a human life. During the shooting and editing process, I chose to construct a sense of rhythm that would really reflect the way time can be perceived in my town – and which I also wanted the audience to experience –, as something that passes by very slowly, yet keeps going, relentlessly. Finally, “The Stranger’s Land” has an anthropological dimension, since it portrays a very particular way of life, through its people, traditions, and landscape.
"The Stranger’s Land” is a personal documentary about my return to my hometown, Cervera, after a very long absence. It consists of a recollection of different moments, people, and landscapes I encountered during a five-month stay. Everything was mostly shot by me. An HD camera, a tripod, and a couple of mics were practically all the equipment that I used. The modus operandi of the shooting was determined by my instincts. I chose my subjects based on the emotional impact they had on me at every particular moment. Since Cervera is the place where I spent my childhood and where my first memories reside, the “time” factor, in all its senses, soon became a central element of the project as it unfolded. My home revealed itself like a pool of time in which I could see my reflection while at the same time I could see life itself passing by. In this way, the documentary addresses the subject of time understood as the different periods of a human life. During the shooting and editing process, I chose to construct a sense of rhythm that would really reflect the way time can be perceived in my town – and which I also wanted the audience to experience –, as something that passes by very slowly, yet keeps going, relentlessly. Finally, “The Stranger’s Land” has an anthropological dimension, since it portrays a very particular way of life, through its people, traditions, and landscape.