2023 CAMDEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
In a small town outside of Barcelona, an old shepherd begins to realize that the life he once had for himself is dwindling. Not only is he old and sick, but he sits next to a laboratory where the scientists inside experiment on animals. They are looking for a vaccine for Covid, and he’s just looking to live his life the way he has for years. Fauna is a juxtapositional story that aims to express the drastic differences between this shepherd and his treatment of animals and the laboratory and theirs.
Fauna is a slow, dragging documentary that attempts to showcase these juxtapositional things as thoroughly as possible. The film moves at a snail’s pace, and the reality is that this film is far longer than it needs to be. There’s a lot going on, and, yet, nothing really happens to drive the film forward–and somehow it’s still enjoyable. This, however, is a unique film.
There’s not a ton of dialogue present in Fauna, and the dialogue that does exist, I don’t think played a significant role in the film. I truly believe that the film could be watched on mute with subtitles turned off–and viewers would have still gotten more than just the basic gist of the film. I don’t know if I’ve ever come to the conclusion that a film could be watched completely muted, and that makes Fauna one of the more unique films that I’ve ever seen. On one hand I genuinely enjoy the fact that the visual so beautifully represents everything that takes place throughout the course of the film. I appreciate the fact that Writer-Director Pau Faus took the time to ensure that every second of the visual aspect of the film served a purpose. On the other hand, however, it’s a tad frustrating to know that the dialogue doesn’t serve much of a purpose, and that the film could have likely been thirty (or more) minutes shorter in length and achieved the same goals. There are pros and cons to this, but I believe that the pros effectively outweigh those cons.
What the film does really well is showcase these drastic differences, really express to viewers both sides of every argument that one might make while considering animal experimentation and farming. Fauna doesn’t take sides, it’s not aggressive, it never really expresses an opinion at all–it simply presents viewers with visuals and allows them to make up their own minds. Viewers are effectively immersed in a combination of the two drastically different worlds, and we are able to see the best and worst parts of both throughout the film. Fauna is inclusive in a very effective way. It’s not inclusive in the way that is often talked about today, but rather in a way that allows different points of views and opinions access to it.
Again, Fauna is an incredibly slow journey through these juxtapositional things: farming and animal testing. It pulls viewers through in a way that doesn’t require dialogue, only visuals. The visuals are spectacular, but the dialogue sometimes comes off as frumpy and it gets in the way. All in all, the film does its job of presenting viewers with a series of points of view, allowing them to come to terms with their own thoughts and ideas. Fauna is far too long, but every second of the film is planned out meticulously.
Directed by Pau Faus.
Written by Sergi Cameron, Pau Faus, & Júlia R. Aymar.
Starring Valeriano Martínez, Júlia Vergara-Alert, Xavier Abad, Silvia García, Ramn Sáez, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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