Victor Erice's 'El Sur' (1983)
Her Head in FilmsJuly 07, 202601:27:40

Victor Erice's 'El Sur' (1983)

In this episode, I talk about Victor Erice's 1983 film, "El Sur." Set in northern Spain during the 1940s and 1950s, the film follows Estrella, a woman looking back on two distinct periods of her life: her childhood and adolescence. At the center of her memories is her enigmatic father, Agustín, a man she deeply loved but can never fully understand. As Estrella gradually uncovers fragments of his past and becomes fascinated by the distant South he left behind, she begins to realize that the father she knew as a child carried a hidden history and a private sorrow that will forever remain beyond her reach.



I talk about the shadow my father’s death has cast over my life, how our parents can continue to haunt us long after they're gone, and how certain films can become an encounter with our own lives. I also discuss the novella the film is based on. There are spoilers in this episode.



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My Sources:




• Adelaida Garcia Morales's The South and Bene at OpenLibrary (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL73843W/The_south?edition=key%3A/books/OL34188M)


• "El Sur: An Incomplete Complete Film"  by Elvira Lindo for Criterion Collection (https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/5759-el-sur-a-complete-incomplete-film)


• "My Father the Hero: Victor Erice's El Sur" by Mar Diestro-Dopido for BFI (https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/my-father-hero-victor-erices-el-sur)


• Senses of Cinema profile about Victor Erice (https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2003/great-directors/erice/)


• Senses of Cinema review of El Sur (https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2006/cteq/sur/)


• Little White Lies interview with Victor Erice (https://lwlies.com/interviews/victor-erice)