Irati (3½ Stars)

This is the tenth film in the Stuttgart Nights Festival.

First of all I have to apologise for possibly rating this film too low. It's a magical fantasy story of epic proportions, visually appealing, but I had difficulty understanding what was happening. Was it pure fantasy, or partially based on real events? After the film I read about the film, and the historical background was explained in detail. If I'd known this before the film started I could have enjoyed it more. So I'll definitely give it another chance.

Eneko is a young boy, the son of a chieftain in the Pyrenees. While walking in the forest he sees a beautiful sea nymph seduce a man and persuade him to go into a deep lake. He's interrupted by a girl his own age who looks human apart from having webbed feet.

After the death of his father, Eneko is denied leadership of the clan because his father was a pagan and now only Christian leaders are accepted. His cousin becomes chieftain in his place. Eneko's father was buried according to pagan customs, but he wants to dig up his bones and give him a Christian burial. Unfortunately, the bones have been taken, Eneko sets out on a quest to find his father's remains, assisted by Irati. There's a romance between the two, but Eneko holds himself back. He's converted to Christianity, and he can't have a wife who isn't human.

It's a fascinating story. The critics love it, and it has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I really need to watch it again.