katrinaolson.ca - KO Review of Finding Altamira

Posted on Friday, September 23, 2016 at 07:00 AM

Movie: Finding Altamira

KO Review of Finding Altamira

Review by Katrina Olson-Mottahed x CalgaryMovies.com

Finding Altamira is period piece about evolution vs. the church in Spain. Starring in the lead is Antonio Banderas who plays Sautuola, a paleontologist . It isn’t until the daughter of Sautuola stumbles upon paleolithic cave paintings of bison by accident, that Sautuola’s world turns upside down. The cave paintings according to Sautuola were dating back to the ancient past, a concept that contradicted the church’s teachings of creation. Sautuola’s hypothesis makes him a very unpopular man amongst his community and within his own family.

Unfortunately Sautuola’s hypothesis is not proven to be correct until after his death in 1902, 14 years later when Emile Cartailhac unequivocally admitted his mistake in the famous article, “Mea culpa d’un sceptique”, published in the journal L’Anthropologie. Sautuola, died earlier, not knowing the world celebrated and acknowledged his efforts in the field of paleontology.

FINDING ALTAMIRA was shot on location in Spain by renowned Spanish cinematographer José Luis Alvarez, best known for his ongoing work with Pedro Almodóvar. The aesthetic of this film is like a rembrandt painting, picturesque, dark and rich color with deeply saturated pigments.The use of shadows and lights to fill the screen make it a wonderful experience to watch. Deeply romantic, with classical soundtrack and moments or operatic splendor. The costume design of the period costumes is exquisite, and the acting top shelf. Even though I studied art history and find the story interesting, the plot was rather sluggish because it was devoid any unexpected plots twists. The script was written by Olivia Hetreed (Wuthering Heights, Girl with a Pearl Earring) and José Luis López-Linares.

As a companion to the film’s release, the filmmakers have produced a four-minute virtual reality tour of the Altamira Caves; Pacific Northwest Pictures and Goldwyn Films will distribute viewing glasses at opening weekend screening pop-ups, to allow audiences to step inside this remarkable piece of human history. (This is really a cool idea :-) )

FINDING ALTAMIRA opens on Cineplex screens in Toronto (Yonge Dundas), Vancouver (The Park), Calgary (Eau Claire), Ottawa (South Keys), and Halifax (Park Lane).

Calgary Showtimes: Finding Altamira >