Bajo California: El límite del tiempo

I had the pleasure of catching this little gem here in Santa Fe. If you get the chance, don't miss it. A beautiful hero's journey of redemption, finding your roots, friendship, nature, against the stunning Baja California backdrop.

story of a spiritual journey of a losangelitos returning to the land of his ancestors in the rocky mountains of baja california. Style reminds Wim Wenders, in which the main character is a wandering person in search of something that he himself doesn't know, and just like in Wim Wender's films, he too carries a Polaroid camera. Very little dialogue, mostly imagery of rocky mountain desert (very similar to Anza-Borrego state park near San Diego). Initially I was finding the story rather boring and was ready to walk out, but I am glad I didn't: in the second half the story develops into the casual relationship between the character from Los Angeles and his guide, Arce, a local rancher. Again, very parsimonious on dialogue, generous on desert imagery, with a spice here and there of the spiritual rediscovery of attachment to the native land.

I'll echo all the Wim Wenders parallels made by other reviewers but I'd also like to add that although the protagonist (a fascinating artist) seems to be searching for 'something', he has a very clear agenda. The accidental hit-and-run murder of a pregnant woman who was trying to reach America has haunted him into returning to his homeland to find a way of serving a spiritual penance. The fact that there is so little dialogue in this film brings us in the audience into the same mesmerizing primal and metaphysical state of our hero. We meditate on landscapes, faces, details, sky, stone... and fuse it with the artist's vision and experience. And we experience a rare opportunity to see an almost aboriginal approach to finding a way of punishing oneself for crimes committed, even if they are accidental.

One of the best films about an artist and the spiritual quest I've seen! Now, somebody PLEASE release this on DVD!!!

My wife and I were still in a feverish shock the night of Septmber 11, 2001 when this movie came on the Independent Film Channel.

How engrossing, what film making, and how soul nourishing -- we could finally go to sleep with some hope to cling to.

The main character is a blocked artist who accidentally kills (or injures) a pregnant immigrant running across a highway in order to reach the USA. He cannot escape his guilt and shame and decides to go on a trek to his ancestors' home - Baja California. 'nuf said.

CALDO is the word for SOUP in Spanish - and 'Bajo California' is soup for a weary soul.

PS - who do we lobby to get a DVD of this film?

Marvelous amalgam of ambient sound, pithy dialogue (occasionally betrayed by poor subtitling), craggy faces, craggier landscapes, and an unerring sense of concise communication. The comparison to Wenders is apt, particularly something like Kings of the Road. Only this is much less about the art of film and much more real. I feel that I'm failing to explain what makes this film so remarkable, because it is more than the great photography, editing, and acting. Truly memorable.