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Portuguese filmmaker Raul Domingues creates an intimate connection with nature and small-scale farming in his new feature documentary, Terra Que Marca (Striking Land).
Domingues explores the seasonal cycles of rural family farming, using changing colours and visual markers to signal to viewers the arrival of the next phase of work. A large orange tree in the middle of a farm field serves as our point of reference throughout the film. The sun shines as vibrant green grasses surround the orange tree; soon the grasses turn golden and are eventually cleared away as a tractor prepares the soil for a new season of planting. The orange tree remains the one constant in an endless cycle of change.
The film is intimate with the farming process, relying almost exclusively on close-ups of the work and the land. Hands till the earth, trees rustle in the wind, a stream of water coats the soil. Occasionally we catch glimpses of people’s faces, but more often than not the camera trains its eye on nature, the ground, and weathered hands and feet hard at work. The film is absent of dialogue, instead heightening the sounds of nature and agricultural tools and machinery. This tactic more closely connects us with the work and the environment, seeking not to educate us about how to farm but rather bring us into the process on a more fundamental, almost spiritual level. The lack of dialogue and the heightened sounds of nature also contribute to the film’s meditative and tranquil tone.
Domingues also highlights the tough nature of the farming industry and the generational gap at play. While there are only a few people featured in the film, they are all much older farmers, both men and women. This suggests that the work may end with them, finally ceasing to pass to the next generation within the family. All around the world, we see younger generations increasingly turning away from farming in favour of city living. This evidently is also true in the area of rural Portugal where Terra Que Marca is shot. However, a few close-ups of young children’s feet offer a hopeful possibility for the future. In the meantime, the older generation of farmers carry on, continuing the back-breaking work through one cycle after the next.
We also bear witness to the battle between farming and forests. Farmers analyze sections of forest, surveying the land. Large swathes of trees are cut down to pave way for new farm fields and a small house or two for the farming family. Much of this activity is also done by hand, once again depicting the farmers’ commitment to their work, which is also their lifestyle, as they gather armfuls of downed tree limbs, adding them to one big pile which is then burned. Such is the nature of farming.
Miraculously, the orange tree remains unscathed despite its susceptible position in the heart of a farm field. Indeed, at one point Domingues edits the film in such a way that it seems like the orange tree has finally been removed, roots and all, much to our distress and disappointment. Our relief at the tree’s survival speaks to the film’s success at building the viewer’s connection to nature and their relationship with the land. The film ends with the reassuring presence of the orange tree, and a farmer metaphorically and literally eating the fruits of his labour as he peels and eats a juicy orange. It’s a satisfying ending that reminds us of the joy that balances the tough toiling.
Terra Que Marca has its world premiere at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival as part of the Forum program. The film is also competing for the Berlinale Documentary Award. The winner will be announced on February 16th.