Afternoons of Solitude
- Sunday, Aug 3, 2025, 7:00pm
Screening location: SIFF Film Center – 167 Republican St, Seattle (located within the Seattle Center, just north of Climate Pledge Arena / east of KEXP and The Vera Project)
The new film from the visionary director of PACIFICTION, Albert Serra’s AFTERNOONS OF SOLITUDE is a spellbinding documentary that turns its gaze on the ceremonial splendor and devastating brutality of bullfighting in Spain. With quiet intensity, Serra follows famed matador Andrés Roca Rey, from the solitude of his hotel room and the meticulousness of his preparations to the charged spectacle of the arena. Through his immersive and unhurried lens, Serra reveals Rey’s profound physical, spiritual, and aesthetic commitment to a centuries-old ritual—one that demands he take part in a timeless duel between man and beast.
Winner of the Golden Seashell for Best Film at the 2024 San Sebastián International Film Festival. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Please note: This documentary doesn’t shy away, whatsoever, from showing the brutality of bullfighting. Viewer discretion advised.
Critic’s Pick! “The film’s faithful depiction of the bloody Spanish tradition could serve as an argument against the much-protested practice, but Serra’s vision is mesmeric not polemic. He records spangled ceremonies marinated in the fear of death, producing an X-ray of the male ego and its costly upkeep.” Nicolas Rapold, The New York Times
4/4 stars! “Visually beautiful, emotionally unnerving, and—arguably—intellectually confounding.” Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com