Running with Bulls

According to U.K. television journalist Jason Farrell, the annual San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, Spain, is “nine days of sustained drinking and running with bulls.” So what could possibly go wrong? Well, lots—as viewers will learn from filmmaker Farrell's exciting documentary about the strange event with a centuries-old history. Although made world-famous and romanticized by Ernest Hemingway in The Sun Also Rises, the running typically results in a number of serious injuries every July, as the horns of massive bulls rip human flesh and occasionally kill people. Despite inevitable tragedies, Pamplona entertains thousands of partying locals and tourists in its streets each year, folks who take their lives in their hands while chasing after (or being chased by) the huge animals. On each of the festival's nine days, six bulls are released to charge along a downtown route leading to a stadium, where they will face bloody fates at the hands of matadors. Why do men, women, and children run with the bulls? Because, we're told, it makes them feel alive. Farrell himself vicariously takes viewers along on his own run, employing a small camera and capturing some truly scary moments. The film also features protestors who decry the festival as animal abuse, a charge not easily dismissed. DVD extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette and a photo gallery. Offering an intriguing look at a notable annual phenomenon, this is highly recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)