Who said time heals all wounds?

THE PERMANENT PICTURE

The fact a film like La Imatge Permanent exists in contemporary cinema is a miracle on its own, and certainly a reason to pay a ticket and go celebrate it going to the cinema, exposing to a film like you’ve never seen before.

EDINBURGH
Where: Cameo cinema(38 Home St, Edinburgh EH3 9LZ)
When: Friday 22 March, event starts at 18:30

Original title: La Imatge Permanent 

Director: Laura Ferres
Cast: Maria Luengo, Rosario Ortega, Saraida Llamas, Claudia Fimia, Mila Collado,
Dolores Martínez
Country: Spain, France
Year: 2023
Duration: 94’
Language: Catalan/Spanish with English Subtitles
Age rate: +16

For us, La Imatge Permanent is one of the biggest revolutions in recent Spanish cinema, and the debut of Laura Ferres a proof that filmmaking has so many uncharted territories still to explore. It is also one of the funniest and most purely moving films of the year.

Class struggle, migration, family memories, female friendship was never portrayed this way. Ferres pays homage to the common people of Barcelona’s perifefria neighborhoods without judging or fetishicing their lives, much like Kaurismaki brings dignity with his films to the life of working class people in Finland, Ferres delivers a portrait full of humanity of the life of everyday migrants settled in Catalonia.

Filmmaking hasn’t changed that much since Melies proved making films is not so different as what magicians do with their tricks. When making a film, artists tend to use a limited playbook of existing archetypes, traditional storytelling formulas, common places that fiction uses (with small variations) to place the audience quickly in a safe ground where they feel easily engaged (love stories, thrillers, family comedies, coming of age). Then, there are certain artists who still resist to take that path, and every new film is an opportunity to try something genuinely new, a new trick, and sadly there are not so many of those these days. Laura Ferres debut is a constant fight against taking conventional storytelling paths, against using certain images to stir certain feelings, or music to provoke certain emotions. It’s genuinely a revolution in film language.

Reviews of “The Permanent Picture”

“A deeply moving and thought-provoking film about loneliness, connection, and the search for meaning in life.” – Variety

“A beautifully shot and acted film that will stay with you long after the credits roll.” – The Hollywood Reporter

“A slow-burning but ultimately rewarding film that explores the complexities of human relationships.” – IndieWire