The wind that sweeps away, of exorcisms, of faith and of the relationship of oppressive parents

Family was a topic addressed by Paula Hernandezboth in his more recent films, such as The sleepwalkerswith Erica Rivas; The Siamese, with Rita Cortese and Valeria Lois; and also in the documentary Lugones family. Personal and intimate relationships within a home or family environment are favorable terrain for the director To rain AND Inheritance Do what you do best: tell stories.

Because in the end the protagonists of The wind that sweeps away They are two families, a father and his daughter, a father and his son.

The film begins with Reverend Pearson (Alfredo Castro) performing an exorcism ritual in front of a group of believers, in a rural setting, while his daughter Leni (Almudena González) records it on video, videos that will later be marketed. The actions take place in the 90s.

Father and daughter are traveling throughout the interior of the country to preach the word and support themselves financially. Until the car they were traveling in said enough, and they ended up in the mechanic workshop, right there, of El Gringo (Sergi López) and the young man he takes care of, Tapioca (Joaquín Acebo), in the middle of nowhere.

And there something that was glimpsed at the beginning gains more space on the screen. Fathers – there are no mothers – exercise a type of power that, in more explicit or implicit ways, is oppressive.

The Wind That Devastates, which the director together with her occasional co-writer Leonel D’Agostino adapted from Selva Almada’s novel, is more than a road movie and a film about the paternal-filial relationship.

The strong female character

Leni – Paula Hernández’s films generally have more than one strong female character – if there is something she wants it is to escape from that future that she did not choose, that of accompanying her father, the pastor, on his journey of evangelization.

And if the tension between Leni and the reverend was latent, the meeting with these two new characters will increase it and allow Hernández to delve deeper into what interests him most: family ties and what the absence of a mother has left in his childhood.

Furthermore, a certain form of patriarchy contrasts it with the freedom you feel when you launch yourself into the unknown, distancing yourself from family oppression.

Alfredo Castro, the Chilean actor of recent To count AND The colonistsAND Tony Manero, all shot in his country, has the most difficult role, because it is he who deals with the protagonist, and he does it with the wisdom he is known for. Almudena González, seen in small roles in Argentina, 1985 and the series The end of lovegains prominence thanks to its intense presence.

And the great Sergi López, the Catalan actor of Pan’s Labyrinth AND Henry, a friend who loves youhe manages to express with his eyes what his character has hidden inside.

“The wind that sweeps away”

Drama. Argentina/Uruguay, 2024. 91′, SAM 13. From: Paula Hernandez. With: Almudena González, Alfredo Castro, Sergi López, Joaquín Acebo. Rooms: Gaumont, Hoyts Abasto and Unicenter, Cinemark Palermo, Showcase Belgrano and Norcenter.