Genre: Drama/Romance
Language: Spanish, Bube, Pichinglis and Benasquese (Patués)
Duration: 163 minutes
Writer: Sergio G. Sánchez
Producer: Nostromo Pictures, Dynamo Producciones, Atresmedia Cine and Warner Bros.
Director: Fernando González Molina
Cast: Berta Vázquez, Mario Casa, Celso Bugallo, Adriana Ugarte, Macarena García, Slain Hernández, Emilio Gutiérrez Caba
Music: Lucas Vidal
Editing: Irene Blecua and Verónica Callón
Cinematography: Xavi Giménez
Introduction:
Palm Trees In The Snow is the english translation of Palmeras En La Nieve, a critically acclaimed Spanish movie based on the novel of the same name, by Luz Gabás.
The movie is about the journey and discoveries of a young Spanish woman who visits Bioko, the island region of Equatorial Guinea to uncover some secrets and search for some important people who hugely effected the lives of her grandfather, father and uncle, when they were posted there as Spanish colonists, to administer the local cocoa plantations.
The Plot:
In 2003, post the demise of her estranged father Jacobo (Macarena García) at Pasolobino in Spain, Clarence (Celso Bugallo) comes across an old letter, which propels her to journey to Fernando Poo (now called Bioko) in Guinea (now Equatorial Guinea) to uncover some strong links mentioned in the letter.
As her journey unfolds, it is revealed that her uncle Kilian (Mario Casas) along with his elder brother Jacobo i.e. Clarence's father, left the snow-capped mountains of Huesca in northern Spain in 1954 to join his father Antón (Slain Hernández) and his employer company that managed the local cocoa plantations of Bioko.
Upon his arrival to Bioko, Kilian gets amused and baffled by the entirely new style of life, tropical climate and racism. He slowly and gradually learns the rope of the administration, hardens up as per the need of the times and evolves into a hard-working, problem solving and compassionate human, rather than an abusive and dominating colonist.
Post his father's demise, Kilian returns back to Pasolobino for 3 years. Upon returning back, he finds his brother turned into an insane drinker and womaniser and send him back home to Pasolobino. Personally, he stays in Bioko till 1964, visits his home only for a few months and then travels back to Bioko. His final exit from the African island takes place in 1968, when a new president is elected for the Republic of Equatorial Guinea and the Spanish colonists are forced to leave.
Amidst all his travels and stays in Bioko, he comes across Bisila (Berta Vázquez) - firstly as a girl in 1954, silently crying and singing a song to a waterfall in a forest and vanishing in a split second, secondly during her marriage weeks later, when he gets enchanted by her, thirdly post his return in 1957, with her first born and realizing that the feeling is mutual and fourthly while helping her to smuggle her politician friend Gustavo the very next day, to cross military checkpoints which leads to their first kiss and eventually to their first night of love making.
Their affair is lined with true love and their love makings are passionate. Since Bisila happens to be a nurse at the cocoa estate, it's convenient for them to sneak in moments of privacy.
After his last tour to Spain, when Kilian arrives at Bioko, he is shattered to find that during his absence, when Jacobo had returned back to the island, one fateful night in a drunken state, Jacobo and two of his friends had beaten and violated Bisila!
Shortly, both of Jacobo's friends are found hanging on a tree. Bisila's grieving and revengeful husband tries to kill Jacobo, but is instead shot dead by him, due to timely intervention of Kilian, who had already reprimanded and beaten Jacobo for his heinous act.
As per her tribe's rituals, Bisila goes into a year long mourning of her husband, wherein she forbids Kilian to meet her. During this mourning period, she gives birth to her second son Laha, who happens to be sired by Kilian.
In 1968, when there is extreme political turmoil and threat to colonists' lives, Kilian tries to leave Bioko with Bisilia and her sons, but her sons are not allowed to cross the check point because they are Guinean by birth!
Resultantly, all of them return back to the estate and try to leave together happily as a family. But eventually, Kilian is forced to bid final goodbye to Bioko forever.
Movie Analysis:
Palm Trees In The Snow is an extremely well made classic, wherein true love and passion of the central characters has been carefully woven around the last 10-15 years of Spanish colonisation of Bioko in Equatorial Guinea.
It also showcases the selfless and relentless search of the main protagonist, in an absolutely foreign and unfriendly terrain, so that she can deliver justice and bring closure to her departed father and dementia suffering uncle.
The movie shows you both good and evil sides of the colonization; relationships between different family members, lovers and people of different races; and last but not least the bond and power of true love.
The movie constantly shifts between past and present but this doesn't hamper it's visual appeal or makes it difficult to understand.
In the movie, there are multiple scenic references to turtles travelling thousands of miles in the ocean to their homes, which is quite symbolic and quite in-tune with the movie's storyline.
Cinematography by Xavi Giménez is excellent. The soundtrack, Palmeras en la nieve is quite good. All the actors have worked very well. But Berta Vázquez as Bisilia simply stands out. She has displayed a myriad range of emotions with equal ease and conviction.
For those who don't know, she also stood out for her excellent portrayal of Estefanía Kabila "Rizos", in the Spanish TV series Vis A Vis (Locked Up) that aired from 2015 to 2019.
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