PARAGUAYAN HAMMOCK

This meditation on memory, time and loss is purportedly the first feature film from Paraguay in more than 30 years.Ramon and Candida are farmer folk living in a remote corner of Paraguay. The absence of their son, who is away fighting in the Chaco war against Bolivia, leaves a palpable void in their lives. As they tend to daily chores, they reminisce about their last contact with him. Candida is resigned to the likelihood of their son being dead while Ramon is optimistic. With little else to do, they wait.In her feature debut, Paz Encina has delivered an introspective and minimalist two-hander; a measured portrait of lives buffeted by external forces and a rare window into Paraguayan culture. One of six films that comprised Peter Sellar's New Crowned Hope Festival that took place in Vienna last year.