Vacas

Vacas
Poster for Vacas
Directed by	Julio Medem
Written by	Julio Medem Michael Gaztambide
Cinematography	Carles Gusi
Music by	Alberto Iglesias
Distributed by	Colifilms Distribution
Release dates	February 26, 1992 March 30, 1993
Running time	96 min.
Country	Spain
Language	Spanish

Vacas (English: Cows) is a 1992 Spanish film, written and directed by Julio Medem. It was Medem's first film and he won the 1993 Goya Award for Best New Director. The film stars Carmelo Gómez, Emma Suárez, Ana Torrent, Txema Blasco and Karra Elejade. An eerie family saga set in rural Basque Country, the cryptic film follows the intertwined story of two families and three generations ,from 1875 to 1935

Usually categorized as rural drama, the film narrates the lives of two Basque families covering the years 1875-1936, which historically were the unstable and bloody years from the Third Carlist War to the Spanish Civil War. To help the non-Spanish viewer understand the history depicted in the film: the Basques allied themselves initially with the Carlists (who were right-wing) but later with the Spanish Republic (who were left-wing) because, in each case, they were promised local autonomy.

The aesthetics of the movie established strongly Medem's so-called "dreamy style" (which ironically can be very nightmarish). His expressionist values would contrast rapidly with a time period in the Spanish cinema when the influences from the American movies would multiply (i.e. Alejandro Amenábar). The structure of Vacas is made up of concentric circles: European Style--Spanish History--Basque culture--A village--Two houses of that village and, overseeing them all, the cows. The narrative is also very concentric; the film uses a continuous recycling recourse (i.e. the same actors play the three generations, which can be slightly confusing). Medem would also use a loop-like approach in his film Los amantes del círculo polar.

Small segments of Vacas were used by Medem in his documentary film La pelota vasca to illustrate the Carlist Wars.

External links

• "Intertextual Elements in Julio Medem's Vacas by Javi Cillero Goiriastuena
• Vacas at IMDb