The Cloud Forest

Shot in a rare type of rainforest that is one of the most beautiful but endangered places in Mexico, the overlong and somewhat scattershot documentary The Cloud Forest explores the ecological challenges facing an agricultural community called “Veracruz.” First-time filmmaker Mónica Álvarez Franco mashes up fly-on-the-wall cinema vérité scenes capturing the monotony of daily life together with hints that efforts are underway to forestall regional destruction from rampant coffee cultivation, cattle grazing, and overpopulation. Viewers witness some of the latter discussions in a classroom and over a kitchen table, but the actual extent of any coordination between neighbors is never made clear. Meanwhile, Franco meanders through scenes of farming, cooking, slaughtering a sheep, and lunch breaks—none of which is uninteresting, but there’s no shape to the narrative. Even the director’s many long, silent, contemplative shots of the forest’s plant and insect life come across as more mannered than meditative. What does stick is a certain spirit among the people of Veracruz: folks pitching in to seed newly-tilled ground; parents who want kids to follow their dreams; and long-term friendships built on mutual support. And it is these glimpses of humanity that hold the most interest. Optional. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)