Lorena, La de pies ligeros

Brilliant. Lorena runs. Lorena as seamstress. Lorena as daughter. Lorena as sister. Lorena as world class runner. Tends sheep. Runs with fireflies. 28 minutes of absolute bliss. Brilliant.

This compact documentary was shot in the mountain ranges of Urique, Chihuahua in Mexico where Lorena Ramirez and her family live. It contains beautiful cinematography and gives viewers an insight into the life of the Ramirez family who are an indigenous people belonging to a group called the Rarámuri (or Tarahumara). The Ramirez family live an isolated existence without any of the modern-day comforts, where the sons attend a school that is a five-hour walk away whilst Lorena and her sisters remain at home to tend to their animals and prepare meals which requires a long four-hour journey by foot to the nearest grocery store.

Like her father, Santiago, who has won the Guachochi Ultramarathons three times, Lorena discovers that she has a talent for running. Dressed in her traditional skirts and sandals, Lorena wins many races and fans along the way. Having grown up in a land untouched by development, the fresh air that is free from factory smoke and the rugged dirt paths across the mountainous terrain means that Lorena was born to run marathons.

Just like the fireflies that follow their lights in silence, the softly spoken Lorena whispers that she will continue to follow her light to run races for as long as she can. Overall, it was a unique, anthropology documentary film which makes you want to move to the mountains and take up running.

I hadn't heard of Lorena previous to watching this. Unfortunately, after watching the documentary, all I know now that I didn't before is that she exists. I think that her talent is incredible and that her story deserves to be known, but I don't feel that I actually learned anything much about her (except that she lives in rural Mexico), about her journey, or about ultramarathons in general. There were a few interviews with her and her dad, but there wasn't a lot of content. At times it almost felt like the camera was intruding in a private place (not in a good way), and that Lorena wasn't really ready to share her private life. I might be reading to much into it, but she seemed so hesitant to speak that it made me wonder if she wanted to be spotlighted like that.

A such great potential documentary with a great subject yet Sloppy storytelling lacking in depth and also so many of her family members popping in randomly. Sometimes I lost track of whose who. One third or fourth of the film is Lorena running.

Lots of beautiful drone shots but that's about it and doesn't add any value to the story.

A waste of potential.

--- A such great potential documentary with a great subject yet Sloppy storytelling lacking in depth and also so many of her family members popping in randomly. Sometimes I lost track of whose who. One third or fourth of the film is Lorena running.

Lots of beautiful drone shots but that's about it and doesn't add any value to the story.

A waste of potential.