Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles

Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles

Buñuel en el laberinto de las tortugas
Directed by Salvador Simó
Spain | 2018 | Narrative
77 minutes

In 1930 Paris, surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel is left penniless after the scandalous release of “L’Age d’Or” leads to a falling out with collaborator Salvador Dalí. On a whim, sculptor Ramón Acín — a good friend — buys a lottery ticket and promises to devote his winnings to fund Buñuel’s next film. Incredibly, Ramón wins the jackpot, sending the two men to the remote mountains of their native Spain to film the documentary “Las Hurdes: Land Without Bread.” Driven by mad artistic impulse and haunted by childhood memories, Buñuel must confront the specter of mortality looming over the lives of his subjects — and of his own. In a stranger-than-fiction tale befitting the master filmmaker, “Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles” tells the true story behind a fascinating episode in cinematic history, featuring sensitive performances and excerpts from Buñuel’s filmography to present a deeply affecting and humanistic portrait of an artist hunting for his purpose.

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