Meritxell Colell's latest cinematic endeavor, 'Far From the Trees' ('Lejos de los árboles'), invites its audience into a world where profound listening precedes understanding. Unveiled at the Locarno Film Festival, this Spanish-Italian-Peruvian co-production from Allegra Films chronicles Adela, a Mexican sound artist in her fifties, as she traverses from the Peruvian jungle to the Andes. Her mission is to document languages on the verge of extinction, a continuation of the legacy left by her Catalan Republican grandfather, who sought refuge in Mexico. However, Adela's journey takes an unexpected turn with news of her grandmother's potential passing, drawing her into a complex web of childhood recollections, familial silences, and vivid, dreamlike sequences.
The genesis of this film stems from a deeply personal experience for Colell: the inability to bid farewell to a loved one in 2020. This personal void inspired her to explore themes of unresolved grief and the power of sound. Her research led her to Angélica Castelló, a Mexico-born, Vienna-based composer whose own family history included exile, thus providing a poignant real-life parallel that resonated with the director's initial artistic impulses. Colell, rather than directly recounting her own family narrative, crafted the character of Adela, a fictional persona whose identity is shaped by migration, artistic ambition, and the constant state of being geographically distant from her origins. This narrative choice allowed Colell to explore the intricate nuances of hybrid identities, forged by exile and migration, where the concept of 'foreigner' becomes a fundamental aspect of selfhood, highlighting the enduring weight of such an inheritance. The inclusion of vulnerable Indigenous languages and the connection to her grandfather’s activism against linguistic suppression under Franco’s regime in Catalonia became the pivotal element that brought the film's core message into sharp focus, transforming it into an eloquent tribute to the intrinsic value of languages, advocating for multilingualism as a fundamental social reality.
At its heart, 'Far From the Trees' serves as a powerful testament to the necessity of deep listening and the intergenerational transmission of memory. Colell hopes that the film will encourage younger audiences to investigate histories of exile and to engage in conversations with their own families about unspoken narratives. Through Adela’s journey, the film meticulously examines the emotional and personal costs associated with building a life in a foreign land. The director thoughtfully explores the complexities of distance, not merely as a barrier but also as a source of liberation, without imposing judgment. The insightful observation by Castelló, stating, 'I am a permanent foreigner. My home – my refuge – is sound. Music,' perfectly encapsulates the film's central theme and Colell's aspiration for the film itself to become a haven for its viewers.
