Synopsis
"Araya" is an old natural salt mine located in a peninsula in northeastern Venezuela which was still, by 1959, being exploited manually five hundred years after its discovery by the Spanish. In images, the life of the "salineros" and their archaic methods of work before their definite disappearance with the arrival of the industrial exploitation.
Votre Filmothèque
Cast
- José Ignacio CabrujasNarrator (Spanish Version) (voice)
- Laurent TerzieffNarrator (French Version) (voice)
Recommandations
- 100
Christian Science Monitor
It's a strange, one-of-a-kind film that was to be Benacarraf's only full-length feature. - 88
Chicago Sun-Times
This astonishing documentary, so beautiful, so horrifying. - 80
Time Out
The movie’s b&w images of craggy landscapes and shirtless young men have never looked more vibrant. - 80
Los Angeles Times
The 1959 film's style is dated, but it is visually glorious and tells a fascinating story. - 75
New York Post
I'm not sure why it took 50 years for Araya to reach New York, but let us be thankful to Milestone Films for giving life to this forgotten film. - 75
The A.V. Club
As a piece of documentary filmmaking though, Araya is more noteworthy for what it reveals about a changing artform than for what it has to say about its subjects. - 70
Village Voice
Another stunningly photographed document of a singular culture. - 70
Chicago Reader
This meticulous restoration dazzles with crisp, formally rigorous black-and-white images and a complex sound mix, as its minimalist story of three families of manual laborers unfolds against a harsh, barren peninsula.
