MEXICO
TO THE SEA [Alamar]
Pre-Festival Kick-Off!

Born of an Italian mother and a Mexican father who have separated, 5-year-old Natan is sent to spend one last season with his dad, Jorge, a fisherman who lives and works in the Yucatan Peninsula with his own father. As Natan and Jorge fish, sail, snorkel and explore the world around them, a subtle bond is formed between father and son--and boy and nature--that will clearly last long after the child returns to Europe. A stunningly shot pseudodocumentary (the actors portraying Jorge and Natan are father and son) blissfully free of forced incident, this film was the sleeper hit of last year's Toronto Film Festival, where it received unanimous acclaim for its immersive portrait of a near-Edenic paradise.

DIR/SCR/PROD Pedro González-Rubio; PROD Jaime Romandía. Mexico, 2009, color, 73 min. In Spanish and Italian with English subtitles. RATED G

Fri, Sep 17, 4:30; Sat, Sep 18, 1:00; Sun, Sep 19, 1:00