La pelote basque, la peau contre la pierre

If you want to know more about the Basque area of France/Spain, the deep political problems (which have echoes of Northern Ireland) and get to the bottom of something that is glossed over by the media and the Spanish government, go and see The Basque Ball. But be warned, it is a film that requires much attention and dedication - it's no easy viewing. There are so many points to assimilate that your brain may well ache after the first half hour. But if you stay on track the effort is worth it - you will have learnt a lot (even if a 'lot' is little more than scratching the surface) about an issue on our doorstep that is not being made public (the Spanish Government, predictably, I understand, tried to have the film banned) .

There has been a lot of controversy about this documentary in Spain, basically coming from the conservative side. In my opinion, the film gives a real, sincere view of what the Basque problem is and what it means, and is at the same time, as objective a view as one from a Basque director can be.

It mixes beautiful shots of landscapes with old archive images from the dictatorship and early-democracy days, parts of films (including Orson Welles "Around the world") with Basque traditions etc. But above all this, the "confessions", the views that about 70 people of all sorts give about the matter: politicians, singers, priests, ex-terrorists, etc.

I have to say that I got emotional and I´m not Basque. Food for thought of the best quality, worth seeing whatever is your positioning about the Basques. Don't forget we're talking about the maker of beautiful films like "Tierra" ("Land"), "Sex and Lucia" and "The red squirrel".

There's been a trend in recent years for documentaries to tell their stories simply through the testimony of a bunch of talking heads. This film follows that trend and, like most such documentaries, it becomes a bit dull and repetitive after a while. The attempts at creativity toward the end, such as the flipping back and forth between the prisoner's wife and the widow of the ETA victim, or the camera zooming over the interviewees, seem clumsy and self-conscious when they do occur. A bit more variety throughout the film wouldn't have gone amiss.

The technique of introducing interviewees in groups of three or four and then having them speak is confusing. By the time you hear what the person has to say, you've forgotten who they are and what perspective they're coming from.

It's interesting that people who oppose Basque independence seem to think the film is biased in favour of it. I'm in favour of it and I didn't see that bias at all. It certainly is not apologetic of violence. At most it seems to suggest that the Spanish Government is wrong to engage in its own violence, and wrong to not talk even to moderate nationalists. One hardly has to be an ETA supporter to agree with that.

For all the flaws mentioned above, the subject matter was covered in a thorough, coherent and generally balanced way. I wouldn't recommend it as an introduction, but it's a worthwhile exercise for those who already have some knowledge of the conflict.

(Note: this review refers to the 2 hour version)

This is the most thorough, balanced and entertaining video i have seen about the Basque question. It doesn't avoid any of the topics that make of this ancient people's history such a contentious subject for debate. Instead, he interviews almost all actors in Euskal Herria today, providing a complete array of perspectives. Very instructive and entertaining at the same time. The camera is captivating and the editing is very effective. The music by Mikel Laboa is out of this world, and gave me goose-bumps.

The only problem is that it is apparently done for an audience that knows a lot more about Basque history than the average foreigner like me, so at times it was hard to follow the chronology. In fact, i watched the longer (almost 7 hours...i think this was the TV series) version from a Spanish friend, and it helped me understand the movie better.

I went to see the film having read the critics, which stated that this movie could only be seen by pro-nationalists, hoping to get out of the cinema in the middle of projection. How wrong was I!!! Even though the movie is not completely objective, and it compares victims of terrorism to the families of the terrorists, there are very intelligent opinions made by very intelligent thinkers, politicians and journalists who are affected directly by the basque problem. There are also interesting comments made by those who are in favor of the basque autodetermination, including those who "support" terrorism. Medem has made a film where everybody has voice to criticise and to praise everything they want involved in this political and social problem, being partial in editing, therefore making people say things out of context. Content apart, the movie has beautiful images of basque shores and mountains and includes some images from other movies too. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who is concerned with the basque problem and/or with Spain.