REVIEW THREE: LA TERRA TREMA

It will tremble

Here we are in Aci Trezza, a small fishing village on eastern Sicily, where “all tomorrows are much alike”.

For the two and a half hours of La Terra Trema we join the Valestros, a traditional fishing family, we are a part of their household. As the tomorrows blend together, each just as disheartening when struggles against the unrelenting sea reap only meagre fares from the wholesalers. Antonio, the oldest member of the household, is incited to take action against the unjust system. He convinces his family to go private, be controlled by no one. The venture is fruitful and the family prosper, until a storm hits and destroys their equipment, their boat, and their livelihoods.

This film will hit you. It is long and gradual, uncompromising and inexorable like the sea. In this 1948 coastal town you will feel, you will hate and you will see; something is not right. The working class are battling; they are controlled by the inescapable rules and norms of society. Is there a way out? And how can people who need change so badly not want it at all? Where is the fight?

It is at the Valestros'. They are on their own in the ring, where justice counts for nothing and unfair hierarchies are set in stone.

This film is powerful in a way that is not intimidating or aggressive, rather it is a calm and patient commentary of life in the village. In true neo-realist style, director Luchino Visconti steps back and lets you absorb the culture and how society works. Lingering scenes allow us to be a part of the haggling at the fish-market, or watch impossible lovers battle their torment.

A film that is difficult to watch but hard not to. There is much to be learnt about the nature of people and the rigid nature of society. Be a part of it. Learn from it. Savour it.

“The currents will catch us beyond the rocks.”