Alamar

Director Pedro González-Rubio's judiciously chosen images drive this deceptively simple fly-on-the-wall documentary about father-son bonding. An important dramatic angle sets the tone: Jorge, a wild-haired, earthy Mayan fisherman on Mexico's Chinchorro coast, has only a few weeks to spend with his 5-year-old son, Natan, who will soon be going to live with his Italian mother in Rome. With the little time left, Jorge introduces Natan to life on the sea, with most of the film following Jorge, Natan, and Jorge's father in a fishing boat, as the camera captures details such as Jorge diving into the pristine Mexican waters to spear lobsters, or Jorge and Natan befriending and carefully feeding a wild bird. Of course, the human element is at the fore here, as Natan receives a poignant immersion in a part of his ancestry that he may never have the chance to savor again. An interesting documentary that astutely observes the elemental interaction between parent and child—and, in a broader sense, man and nature—Alamar is recommended. (M. Sandlin)