MUJER DE MILFUEGOS

by Chick STRAND
1976 / 16mm / color / sound / 1S / 15' 00

A kind of heretic fantasy film. An expressionistic, surrealistic portrait of a Latin American woman. Not a personal portrait so much as an evocation of the consciousness of women in rural parts of such countries as Spain, Greece and Mexico; women who wear black from the age 15 and spend their entire lives giving birth, preparing food and tending to household and farm responsibilities. Mujer De Milfuegos depicts in poetic, almost abstract terms, their daily repetitive tasks as a form of obsessive ritual. The film uses dramatic action to express the thoughts and feelings of a woman living within this culture. As she becomes transformed, her isolation and desire, conveyed in symbolic activities, endows her with a universal quality. Through experiences of ecstasy and madness we are shown different aspects of the human personality. The final sequence presents her awareness of another level of knowledge.

1 PRINT IN DISTRIBUTION


distribution format 16mm
version restored version
notes Restored by Mark Toscano (Academy Film Archive)
screen 1,37 - Standard (single screen)
speed 24 fps
sound optical sound
original language Spanish
translation English (Embedded subtitles)
rental fee 64,00 €