Hamaca Paraguaya (Paraguayan Hammock)

The first 35mm feature film from Paraguay in three decades: In June 1935, an elderly farming couple awaits their son’s return from the war, as well as better weather and better times. It is a minimalist film about loss and memory—precise in its use of sound and light, and ingeniously structured around a recurring static shot: the titular hammock is strung up in the distance and the couple takes their seats; soon, a precisely composed stream of dialogue—reminiscent of Beckett—begins, revealing itself only through later cutaways to be an exchange of thoughts. The dialogue is spoken in Guaraní, the country’s suppressed second national language. Through the circling of words and images, Paz Encina subtly builds a sense of melancholy: finally, the hammock is taken down as evening falls; the couple walks into the forest with their lantern, and the disappearance of that point of light leaves behind a profound sadness.