The Echo (2024)

There is something of the time capsule to this documentary of a small village in Mexico. Nothing here has changed for centuries as the younger generations tend the sheep flocks and the elderly whilst nature presents them with some challenges that test not just their faith in themselves but their desires to stay and live this subsistence life. Some don’t, and move to the big city where electricity, running water, food and jobs are far more plentiful. There is a scene with an elderly lady walking up a steep hill carrying two buckets of water on a pole across her shoulders that did make me hope that she didn’t have to retake that shot too often, and indeed there are plenty of authentic images as these villagers grapple with everything from the ageing process to drought. For the most part, we take our view from the youngsters of this community and that offers us something freshly optimistic and tangibly realistic - and the filming provides us with an observation, amidst some beautiful and pristine scenery, of a lifestyle that probably faces it’s most formidable of obstacles despite their enthusiasm and stoicism. It’s a film about humanity and nature existing with a certain degree of synchronicity and is crafted accordingly.