‘The color of the sky’: Journey to Lake Lucerne

The famous songwriter and composer Léo Ferré, in one of the great songs, ‘Avec le temps’, when he sang about heartbreak, left a series of stanzas which, after all, describe very well ‘El color del cielo’Joan-Marc Zapata’s first work: “With time, yes, everything goes away. You forget your face, you forget your voice. When your heart stops beating, it’s not worth looking further. You have to leave things as they are and they are very good”. Perhaps inspired by his short film ‘Bright Side in D minor’, the director returns to the serene natural spaces of Switzerland to tell a timid reunion.

Two former lovers stay in the elegant Waldstätterhof hotel, located near the shore of Lake Lucerne, also known as Lake Lucerne. One of them is Olivia Brontë, a former theater actress with a promising career on the Madrid stage who has become a famous Hollywood star. The other is Tristán del Val, a famous professor and philosopher who went from being an aspiring professor in the Spanish capital to teaching at New York University. She goes for a photo shoot, he goes to a conference and their reunion will revive the old love they professed 17 years ago.

Zapata configures a scenario halfway between elegant, phantasmagoric, decadent and banal. Elements that accurately convert a luxurious Swiss hotel surrounded by greenery into an ideal setting for a meeting. The director, who signs the screenplay together with Lluís van Eeckhout, is slowly opening the hearts of two souls whose solitudes end up converging. To do this, he puts a layer of cynicism on his male protagonist, who seems to accept, resignedly, that he is an ancient spirit in a society that is excessively dedicated to the immediate. In the case of the female protagonist, Zapata creates the opposite, a bright character, although this does not prevent her from transmitting a certain feeling of bitterness, since she paid a very high price to reach the pinnacle of fame.

It is the way in which the director approaches his protagonists that gradually conquers the viewer. Because of this, sets up an entire exhibition that evokes classic cinema, with an image format of 4: 3which compacts the characters and the plot and manages to create a claustrophobic effect while having as a frame the large hotel facilities, the lake, the thermal baths or the magic of the city of Lucerne. Added to this is a very careful photograph, the work of Alex Pizzigallothat envelops a work that serves to heal the wounds of the past in a certain aura of melancholy.

An exquisite feature film that exudes beauty in every scene

With an exquisite technical section and splendid music, with Wagner as the main composer in the background, ‘El color del cielo’ becomes a drama of misunderstandings and reconciliations, with which Zapata plays every scene and every dialogue, initially a bit pedantic ( very typical of a philosopher), but which turn into personal statements that end up emotionally undressing the protagonist couple, who It could very well be the heir to both contemporary titles such as “The time of lovers” by Jérôme Bonnell or “Wishing to love” by Wong Kar Wai by other older ones, such as David Lean’s “Brief Encounter”.immersed in a certain decadent atmosphere that recalls the ‘Death in Venice’ of Luchino Visconti.

In that heartbreak meeting, in which ex-lovers end up telling each other the truth after having lived a cordial moment that has turned into a bitter one for the reproaches of the past, Zapata shows extraordinary care and delicacy, especially for being a rookie. On the other hand, the tone in which this story is told is surprising, closer to the European drama. it could very well be signed by Olivier Assayas or Mia Hansen-Løve, compared to that seen in Spanish feature films. Zapata, 33, shows a style that brings the classic and combines it with the strengths and weaknesses of the current generation, causing the strange coexistence between the quotes of Habermas that alternate with the direct of an influencer on social networks.

Although Zapata films an opera with pedigree and a vintage flavor, none of this would have been possible without its main duo. Marta Etura and Francesc Garrido exude chemistry and contained passion, in a film in which they know how to convey that feeling of desire that is impossible to fulfill, given the consequences it can have on their life. The proverb says, “past water does not move the mills”. Although there are still embers of the flame of love, they both know that it is impossible to rekindle it with the same intensity, that this bond is part of the past and of the caress that memory itself gives.

‘El color de la piel’ is an exquisite cinematic exercise, graceful and extraordinarily solemn. With a fascinating tandem conductor, you just have to let yourself be carried away by that autumn rhythm, typical of the passage of time. A fascinating and wonderfully beautiful feature film, one that is rarely seen on the big screen. We are facing the emergence of a director whose sensitivity is unique. Decidedly, This is one of the essential titles of Spanish cinema this year.

Note: 8

The best: His careful photography, his beautiful settings and the delicacy transmitted by Marta Etura and Francesc Garrido

Worse: It is difficult for him to start from the beginning and he has some moments where he is sinful of the engolado.