A genuine portrayal of changing landscapes and identities; deep and sentimental.
Director and screenwriter Rocío Mesa’s latest award-winning film Tobacco Barns, filmed in the Vega of Granada, is a film inspired by her childhood. Having grown up in the rural town of Las Gabias, Mesa depicts a story in which four generations intersect – children, teenagers, parents, and grandparents.
The livelihood of the area comes from tobacco farming and drying, is at risk from expanding urbanisation of the landscape, and it is summer. Vera (Vera Centenera) is seven, and along with mum (Tamara Arias), has come to spend the summer at her grandparent’s (José Sáez Conejero and Cristina Eugenia Segura Molina) farm. Whilst there, her relationship with the land is contrasted sharply with that of teenager Nieves (Ada Mar Lupiáñez) who has always resided there, and whose life is spent harvesting and drying the tobacco with her parents.
Although the landscape shows the impact of climate change with a land looking quite desolate, the focus in this plot on a choice to leave or stay is less about the robustness (or not) of a tobacco crop harvest and more about the social and demographic changes that have been taking place in the De La Vega shire over the last few decades. That being, a decrease of fifty nine percent of farms in the area, with nine two percent of them being of the smallest kind (family farms).
Mesa’s narrative shows the perspectives of four different generations. For the dual protaganists, Vera sees the land as a place of fun and full of endless adventures. Filled with curiosity and delight there are several scenes of her amongst her peers; their gatherings are innocent, sentimental, and reminiscent of times past. It is hard to believe that any of it was acted, particularly so with these interactions and their play. I loved their innocent ‘highs’ such as the stealing of tobacco leaves to dress themselves up in order to beckon the mythical creature.
With an equally authentic depiction, in Nieves the teenager we quite forcefully see the anger in her eyes and with her behaviours. With minimal dialogue we are shown how the teenager feels caged. Her life seems so far removed from Vera’s. As a typical teenager herself and her peers love makeup, fake nails, and lashes, enjoy drugs, partying, boys, and dancing. In the film these scenes are portrayed as very stimulating; the loudness of the music, the speed and the dim lighting in these settings are captured in stark contrast to the childhood play which was low in volume, tone, speech, and unnatural distractions.
Ideally Nieves wants to escape, she is fed up with the daily drill of tobacco collecting and drying, and not content with her assumed future of working the land, marriage, children, attending village festivals. The plot allows for each generation to show their relationship with the land, as the fourth generation (grandparents of Vera) have made the decision to sell the family farm. Having spent and enjoyed all their lives in the area, they love it, do not want to see it developed but feel powerless to stop it, and sold the plot for the sake of their children. Their at-home interactions of village life show in their antiquated furniture and set design and demonstrate the beauty of a simple life.
Tobacco Barns explores a person’s choice to stay to leave a place, as well the effect on those disempowered from their choice. With emotionally engaging characters, all cast members performed strongly to leave the audience in deep reflection.
Tobacco Barns is currently showing as part of the HSBC Spanish Film Festival.
Click here for screening times, and to book tickets.
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