Lisandro Alonso's Jauja opens with a prologue, referencing a mythical land of happiness which has completely eluded all those who endlessly search for it. From there we follow a 19th century general who is accompanied by his daughter as they survey new land. When she vanquishes in the middle of the night with her lover, the general sets out alone into the wilderness to find her. Existential and incredibly challenging, Jauja uses the story of a fathers journey to find his daughter as a way to ponder complex questions about life, time, and existence. While Jauja certainly captures the harsh conditions of the time and place and somewhat comments on imperialism, calling this film a Revisionist western would be selling it short. I'd be lying if I said I fully grasped everything Alonso was trying to say but with Jauja he has created a metaphysical experience. Reality and fantasy, fact and fiction all blur together in a film that puzzles but enriches. Viggo Mortensen gives a great perofrmance in this film, bringing a mysterious yet smoldering energy to this character, a perfect vessel for this challenging experience. For me, Jauja is a film that attempts to comment on just how small our existence is in the scope of time and space, but there are many interpretations to be made, which is what makes Jauja a challenging but rewarding experience.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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