Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil (El herrero y el diablo)
Trailer
Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil is a re-telling of an ancient fable about a Blacksmith who finds himself battling the Devil. In this story the Blacksmith has captured the Devil and lives a life of hermit-like seclusion away from the prying eyes of the townsfolk. All is going well until a desperate little girl, Usue, accidentally stumbles across the devil and unknowingly releases him. It is then left to the Blacksmith to reclaim his bounty, but this is easier said then done as he also finds himself at the end of a lynch mob that have come searching for the missing Usue.
With fantastic set designs and beautifully sombre lighting, The Blacksmith And The Devil transforms nineteenth-century northern Spain into a space all at once mythic and medieval...
With its balance between specificity and universality, Errementari reveals a filmmaker capable of transmitting how passionately he feels for his material. [Full Review in Spanish]
... the images end up being bombastic instead of imposing, as if you put a disc thinking that you are going to hear a coven of Black Sabbath and what it sounds to play is the pagan Feast of Wizard of Oz. [Full review in Spanish]
Rather than hot pokers and knives, this duo use bells and chickpeas. That's right, this film is so good that it makes chickpeas scary! So much so that you may very well feel some sympathy for the devil.
