Les Perseides
Boogaloo FilmsLes Perseides, the feature-length directorial debut from duo Alberto Dexeus and Ànnia Gabarró, is a slow stoic ghost story of sorts that explores the trauma of generations through the eyes of Mar, played by Nora Sala-Patau.
Les Perseides explores the depth of the broken, not only through family but the lost souls wanting more and wandering the quaint ghost town in a cycle of despair. A ghost story on more levels than one, Dexeus and Gabarró's feature is an intimate exploration through the eyes of a developing and honest view of Sala-Patau's Mar. The feature not only to explores the intricacies of a maturing and developing 12-year-old coming to terms with a broken family but also the process of understanding and entering the void of adulthood.
Sala-Patau's Mar, is utterly delightful here as Ma. Granted, it is a role that is elevated by a lack thereof screenplay, but purposefully so, as the performance is heightened by the fact that Sala-Patau is allowed to showcase her skill through an emotive physical performance that wonderfully echoes a sense of loss and loneliness.
A feature full with thematic weight, Les Perseides creates an atmospheric identity that never truly gives itself away nor truly supplies answers to its structure or narrative. It will act as a detriment for some but undoubtedly heighten the experience for others. The only issue to that sentiment on both ends is the fact that Les Perseides only wants to flirt with each identity it has, never fulfilling either story it entails.
One storyline being the coming of age of Mar in a broken family, finding new ground and herself in the process. The second: a parallel narrative amidst a hidden mystery surrounding a past life with implications of Spain's painful political past. What directing duo Dexeus and Gabarró craft is a thematically weighted drama that flirts with the promises of youth and the loss of innocence, but it is one that does not quite come full circle or return on its promises, as comfortable and well shot as it is by cinematographer Ssoí Ramon.
Even with the stoic atmosphere that is drilled in a little too far coupled with a slow and drawn-out narrative, the feature never quite erupts into a direction that serves the investment the viewer arguably deserves. Nevertheless, Les Perseides is saved with a wonderfully dynamic performance from lead actress Nora Sala-Patau, who serves up a delightful role far beyond her years.
