El viento que arrasa: Filial and Religious Power in Paula Hernández's Adaptation

After her outstanding films 'Los sonámbulos' (2019) and 'Las siamesas' (2020), Argentine director and screenwriter Paula Hernández is now premiering her new feature film at the Toronto International Film Festival.

'El viento que arrasa' (A Ravaging Wind) is the cinematic adaptation of Selva Almada's novel, participating in the 'Centrepiece' programme dedicated to stories with global perspectives. The film will also be featured at the San Sebastián Film Festival at the end of the month.

TIFF describes 'El viento que arrasa' as a "quiet and powerful film that depicts the complex relationships of two parents and their children in the Argentine countryside."

Starring Alfredo Castro, Sergi López, Almudena González, and newcomer Joaquín Acebo, the film follows Leni, a young girl trapped in an undesired destiny, who goes with her father, Reverend Pearson, on an evangelical mission. Their car breaks down on the way, forcing them to stop at the workshop of a man of little faith who lives with the teenager Tapioca, whom he has in custody. As a storm approaches, their stop at that place is prolonged, and the reverend sees an opportunity to save the young boy's soul. The way her father exercises power over people awakens memories of her own past in Leni, so she decides to confront him for the first time, leading her to accept her fate.

The director explains that the film is a road movie that depicts the tumultuous relationship between a father who is a religious fanatic and a motherless daughter who must come to terms with him. It's the story of a "rootless nomad, a daughter without a home, without a mother, without memory, a woman trapped by religious stereotypes. 'El viento que arrasa' is life in a car, without reference points." She also asserts that this story, where parental and religious power is exercised, delves into those conflict-ridden family ties, questioning religious belief in the future and its meaning. "It's the calm before the storm. It's the wind that brings the power of new days, sweeping everything away and overwhelming without mercy, forcing everyone to become the masters of their own destiny."

Today marked the film's last screening at the festival, where Hernández returned after participating with 'Los Sonámbulos' in the 'Platform' program. TIFF also highlighted the performances and the unsettling script that unveils the "suffocating methods of a jealous father," leading to an explosion in his daughter and "changing the course of their lives forever."

'El viento que arrasa' is also the chosen film to open the 'Horizontes Latinos' strand at the San Sebastián Film Festival, which will take place from September 22 to 30.

Images courtesy: TIFF

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