The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future (DVD)
A choir of creatures introduces a world delicately constructed by fantasy, mystery, and magical realism in Francisca Alegría’s poignant and stunning debut feature. It begins in a river in the south of Chile where fish are dying due to pollution from a nearby factory. Amid their floating bodies, long-deceased Magdalena (Mia Maestro) bubbles up to the surface gasping for air, bringing with her old wounds and a wave of family secrets. This shocking return sends her widowed husband into turmoil and prompts their daughter Cecilia (Leonor Varela) to return home to the family’s dairy farm with her own children. Magdalena’s presence reverberates among her family, instigating fits of laughter and despair in equal measure with all but Cecilia’s eldest child, who finds much-needed comfort in their grandmother’s love and unconditional understanding during a time of transition. A lyrical rumination on family, nature, renewal, and resurrection, The Cow Who Sang A Song Into The Future is an ambitious proposal for acceptance and healing, suggesting that the dead return when they are most needed.
- Francisca Alegria - Director
- Mía Maestro - Actor
- Enzo Ferrada Rosati - Actor
- Benjamin Soto - Actor
- Leonor Varela - Actor
- Alfredo Castro - Actor
- Marcial Tagle - Actor
- Luis Dubó - Actor
Reviews
"Critic's Pick! The power of Alegría’s feature debut is found... in the lyrical, magical realist qualities of folklore."
“Hauntingly moving and hopeful… a folkloric tale that uses magical realism as a way to connect the intimate story of a family suffering from generational trauma with a timely environmentalist fable.”
“A wonder! Firmly cements its director as a distinctive voice in Chilean cinema”
“A magical realist eco-fable... teeming with thought-provoking ideas.”
"Mysterious and elegiac, a tale of warning about a collapsing ecosystem and about deep family wounds."
"Offers a hopeful vision for collective healing.”
"Feels like the arrival of a totally new voice."
“Reminiscent of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.”
Awards
Official Selection – Sundance Film Festival
Official Selection – Fantasia Film Festival
Official Selection – San Francisco Film Festival
Official Selection – Miami Film Festival
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