José Luis Guerin, the acclaimed Goya-winning Spanish filmmaker, makes a notable return to the San Sebastián Film Festival with his latest work, “Good Valley Stories” (“Historias del Buen Valle”). Nearly 25 years after his film “Work in Progress” graced the festival, Guerin revisits this renowned stage to showcase a narrative that delves into the complexities of displacement, identity, urban dynamics, and ecological challenges within a Barcelonan suburb. As he introduces his film to the world in his home country, Guerin underscores his commitment to authentic storytelling and the dangers of reducing documentary films to mere denunciations.
Returning to Roots with “Good Valley Stories”
In an interview with Variety, Guerin expressed the significance of premiering “Good Valley Stories” in Spain, emphasizing how certain nuances might be lost elsewhere. “San Sebastián is the most appropriate place for a first presentation,” he noted, highlighting the film’s deeply rooted Spanish context. This decision comes from a project commissioned by Barcelona’s Museum of Contemporary Art, where Guerin initially explored a neighborhood unfamiliar to him despite his long-term residency in the city. The project swiftly evolved beyond its original scope as he discovered universal themes within Valbona’s local reality.
Exploring Universal Themes in Local Spaces
Valbona, the suburban backdrop of “Good Valley Stories”, serves as a microcosm reflecting global issues such as gentrification and displacement. Guerin points out the “worldwide phenomenon” of transforming city centers into tourist attractions, leaving residents pushed to the margins. He argues that these peripheral areas, while often seen as spaces of victimization, actually hold significant creative and humanistic value. “The spaces offering most freedom and creativity aren’t at the centre of the industry but on these peripheries,” he states.
Methodical Filmmaking and Human Landscapes
Guerin’s filmmaking method involves a dynamic process of filming and editing simultaneously, allowing him to foster genuine connections with his subjects and refine the narrative arc. In “Good Valley Stories”, characters represent a tapestry of human experiences, from a memory-impaired individual symbolizing forgotten housing blocks, to farmers preserving local heritage. These narratives convey the layered fabric of a community, touching on global emigration, local traditions, and the spectrum of human resilience.
Documentary Cinema: Beyond Denunciation
Guerin is vocal about his stance against the reductive view of documentaries as tools solely for social denouncement. He argues for a richer dialogue between documentary and cinematic art, distancing the medium from simplistic moral obligations. “Cinema sometimes has to know how to give in to a cause, but another thing entirely is to impoverish cinema by attributing to documentary cinema a mere and strict role of denunciation,” Guerin asserts. His belief in cinema’s potential for revelation and discovery underscores his approach.
“Good Valley Stories” stands as a collaboration among Los Ilusos Films, Perspective Films, 3CAT, and Orfeo Iluso AIE, produced with notable figures such as Javier Lafuente and Jonás Trueba among others, with Shellac handling sales. Through this work, Guerin reaffirms his belief in transcending conventional boundaries, celebrating cinema’s power to illuminate overlooked narratives.
