The World of Movies: Paraguayan Hammock
Written by Rachael Crawley
The World of Movies is a series that explores global cinema, drawing on films from many countries, industries and eras. This week, we pass the time in Paraguay.
Paraguayan Hammock.
May contain spoilers.
Paraguayan Hammock (Paz Encina, 2006) takes place in June of 1935, in the last few days of the Chaco War between Paraguay and Bolivia. Ramón (Ramon Del Rio) and Cándida (Georgina Genes) are waiting for their son to return. The rainy season, too, is about to begin. The couple set up their hammock at the edge of their farm and sit back in anticipation of these changes.
What follows is a steady stream of dialogue. They discuss the war, plans for their farm, the dog barking just offscreen, and anything else that crosses their minds. The couple never stay with one topic for too long, and they frequently circle back. Matters of great import are mixed with gossip and small complaints. Even the most casual topics are undercut with grief and worry. The question of their son always lingers – shouldn’t he have returned by now?
Structurally, much of the movie resembles a play – the obvious comparison being Godot. It has a small cast, working in very limited spaces. They are placed far back from the screen, mimicking what a stage audience would see. Their faces are barely visible for the majority of the movie. Occasionally we shift to a different part of the farm, or see glimpses of other actors, but the general setup stays relatively consistent. Apparently, Hammock was expanded from Encina’s 2000 short film. Turning a short into a feature can be tricky, but the film’s languorous approach lends itself well to a longer adaptation.
Paraguayan Hammock.
With this type of blocking, much of the actors’ performances must be conveyed by voice. Del Rio and Genes are both strong enough to carry this off, in mundane and more dramatic moments. Together, they convey the comfortable shorthand of a long-married couple. Apart, they delve into more private – and more abstract – explorations of their thoughts, which provides enough contrast to keep the film from stagnating.
The stagy tone and anticipatory mood give the film a deliberately static feeling – nothing is happening, but something will be soon. The pacing is appropriately slow without plodding. I’m not sure if this was the film or the device I was watching it on, but the picture tended to be dark (outside of night scenes), sometimes distractingly so. The sound design – tremendously important to this film – is quite strong, combining the forest sounds with dialogue quite seamlessly. Overall, this movie has a peaceful, mesmerizing effect, even as it discusses complex topics.
This is a heavy movie to watch, but its discussion is layered in years of unspoken experiences, concentrated in these two central characters. Its short runtime contains a full spectrum of feeling - but distills it into a series of widely varying conversations. Combined with (literal) distance from the action, these tumultuous moments pass in a strange kind of calm. While Paraguayan Hammock takes place at a time of great personal and societal change, its focus remains on what happens just before. It is a film that perfectly captures the unique pain of a long wait.
Rachael Crawley holds a Master's Degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, and has worked with film in Canada and in Europe. She adores language and cinema, and how these subjects interact with each other.