Báltico

They jumped on the road and were crushed under the car wheels. When she was a little girl she could see them by the car's lights on the summer nights. Now, years later, a weird revenge sensation is in her nightmares. Paula tells a psychologist of her fear of locusts while protecting her unborn child from a faceless threat.

Writer and filmmaker Llorente’s homeland becomes the focus of a simmering drama played out amongst the beaches, squares and lush green mountains of this north-western province of Spain. The action follows Marta as she swaps her busy life in Madrid with boyfriend Leo for a trip back to her hometown for the summer. With naturalistic settings, minimal dialogue and lingering shots, the director highlights the contrast between real life and the carefree pace of the holidays. As the summer progresses, a relationship from her past causes confusion and she’s forced to choose between the innocence and freedom of her youth and the grown-up world with all its routines and responsibilities.

Fernando (71) and Manolo Mier (70) are brothers. They are two of the last shepherds left in Picos de Europa. They transmit, with unusual generosity, wisdom and happiness in equal parts. In an environment where many would not survive, they enjoy life. They are legend and memory of Picos, at the same level as El Urriellu or the wolf. A way of life and a wisdom that can disappear with them.