Recalling her youth in northern Spain during the 1950s, Estrella revisits her relationship with her beloved father Agustín, who was raised in the south, and realises how little she knew of him and his secrets. Víctor Erice's delicate and mysterious film reveals his abiding fascination with memory and loss, missed opportunities and the links between private dreams and political realities.
Following its well-received theatrical release in September, El Sur now comes to DVD and Blu-ray, released by the BFI on 23 January 2017 in a Dual Format Edition.
The performances, like the meticulously lit compositions and the evocative soundtrack, are superb throughout; Omero Antonutti is a charismatic Agustín, while Sonsoles Aranguren and Icíar Bollaín shine, as respectively, the young and teenaged Estella.
Although less well-known than Erice's The Spirit of the Beehive, El Sur is exquisitely beautiful and profoundly moving.
