Secaderos vividly portrays life in the tobacco country of Granada, Spain, focusing on the experience and emotions of women of different ages: a young girl who experiences it as a summer idyll, a teenager who longs to break free of the farm's responsibilities and limitations, and several adults facing the potential loss of land they have poured their lives into due to inadequate precipitation, uninterested children, and economic pressures. The film's fly-on-the-wall style observes its characters' everyday activities and interactions naturalistically, giving the viewer a feeling for what life was or is probably really like in this part of Granada. And the conflicts inherent in the situation are depicted poignantly and with empathy for each character and their sometimes contrasting desires.
The land itself is anthropomorphized as a leafy "monster" that sort of looks like something out of The Neverending Story and interacts with several characters (especially the girl visiting from Madrid) which worked alright, although I'm not sure the story needed it. The creature's presence is most effective at showing the growing attachment to the farm of the girl visiting from Madrid.
While the portrayal of life on the tobacco farms feels authentic and moving, I found the film's resolution (or lack thereof) to be less than satisfying. There is certainly something realistic in its somewhat ambiguous ending, but the lack of a clear position or message keeps Secaderos from making as strong of an impression as it otherwise might have. In any case, the film is a promising debut for its director, Rocio Mesa, and it will be interesting to see what she does in the future.
