As we follow a mother and her son, we delve into a past marred by an accident that tears them apart. She will become a renowned artist and healer, and he will grow into his own and a peculiar falconer who bears the marks of a double absence. In the present, a young journalist will bring about an encounter between the two that puts the very meaning of life and art into question, so that we may contemplate the possibility of living life to its fullest, despite the uncertainties littering our paths.
Cinematography
Frozen landscapes that feel like grief made visible.
Acting
Connelly commits to cosmic-level suffering with zero restraint.
Director
Claudia Llosa
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Llosa's Peruvian-Canadian perspective infuses the Arctic setting with magical realist traditions — the cold becomes a character of its own.
The falconry metaphor isn't subtle: Ivan trains birds to return to him precisely because he cannot make his mother do the same. The film's Cannes competition slot baffled critics who found it pretentious, but its cult following argues it demands multiple viewings.
CA
US
