Alcarràs

For 80 years, the Solé family has been growing peaches in Alcarràs, Catalonia. This summer, they gather for the last time to harvest together. The land had once been given to them by the landowner Pinyol as a token of gratitude for saving his life during the Spanish Civil War. But the young Pinyol wants nothing to do with his grandfather’s handshake agreement. He wants the land back to build a solar power plant on it. This harvest will likely be their last. Grandfather Rogelio hasn’t given up hope of reaching an understanding. Father Quimet throws himself into the harvest work as if there were still a tomorrow. And Dolors keeps the household and family together with cheerful patience—everyone pitches in with the work, amid the unbridled antics of the young children Iris, Teia, Pau, and Pere. “Alcarràs—The Last Harvest” by Carla Simón is a quiet, deeply authentic family drama about the transformation of rural life in Catalonia, as seen through the lens of a peach-farming family. Rather than dramatically escalating major conflicts, Simón sensitively explores family cohesion, tradition, loss, and the difficult process of navigating societal upheavals. Particularly powerful is how the film avoids oversimplifying ecological and economic issues, instead bringing to light the differing perspectives within the family. As a result, this narrative is both deeply personal and political. It is no coincidence that “Alcarràs” was awarded the Golden Bear at the 2022 Berlinale.