Freedom (2001) User Reviews (4)

a tribute to simplicity

[wong kar lurko · 1 May 2002]

This is certainly one of the most curious films of 2001. Throughout one hour and thirteen minutes we are witnesses of the life of a lonely wood-chopper in the middle of the pampas. This may sound uninteresting, but actually it isn´t. The films produces a certain fascination, we are deeply moved by the way of life the character has, his isolation from the civilized world, the slowness of his existence in contrast with the rush of city life.

However, we do not feel sorry for this man. It´s just that his daily activities are so extremely different from what most of us are used to and the gap between him and us is so enormous that we end up admiring him. This movie is about understanding, beauty (in the most raw of senses), isolation and nature. But most of all, this movie is about humanity and here you have to make a choice: to be unable to understand the character and therefore think the movie is an overrated waste of time or, on the other hand, connect yourself with this man (even though both are different) through your humanity. Either way, I can tell nobody will feel indistinct towards this film.

a day in the woods

[birthdaynoodle · 9/10 · 27 February 2007]

This is the first installment of Lisandro Alonso's trilogy: La Libertad, Los Muertos and Fantasma -- which literally translate to The Freedom, The Dead and Phantom. All three films are quite intriguing and very much worth watching. (Los Muertos is my personal favorite because it seems to flow most naturally, almost magically, like the river where it takes place; but I've come across an interview in which Alonso speaks of La Libertad as a more challenging and, in his view, more successful project.)

Throughout the trilogy, the Argentinean director/screenwriter manages to inspire in the audience a true sense of awe and mystery while working with very few, beautifully simple ideas; it is precisely the economic and lean nature of the "storytelling" (if one may call it this) that's most captivating.

In La Libertad, the camera appears to document a day in the life of a woodsman who survives in a state of near-complete isolation. (Curiously enough, the filmmaker has described the story as being not so much about a lumberjack, but about a person watching that lumberjack from a cinema - a concept which is later touched upon in Fantasma, the third part of the trilogy.)

If you're a viewer who enjoys slow movies and has a taste for subtlety and experimentation, don't miss this film.

no cuts needed

[fanbaz-549-872209 · 10/10 · 27 January 2015]

People make movies for different reasons. Most make movies to make money. Like a box of candy, the movie world has something for almost everyone. Freedom is a film for audiences who are able to join the director's artistic trip and not start carping because no one gets shot in ten minutes or strips off and has sex. Alonso said once his movies are more like paintings. Paintings don't contain moving images and a lot of Alonso's scenes are quite static. He wants us to look and be patient and to think, and to let our senses take time to enjoy the action. Freedom is a day in the life of a woodsman. A young man who lives in solitude. We see him chop down trees. Skin them. Defecate. Sell his logs. Call his family. Drink a Fanta. Kill and eat an armadillo. Another day in a wood. That's it. The director said about Freedom that the film is not about a man cutting down trees. It is about the audience watching him. Brilliant. Alonso is both highly original and quite unique. Only Piu shares the Oscars for this kind of movie.

Interesting beginning, uninteresting ending

[egypt24 · 11 November 2004]

"La Libertad" means The Freedom and the story looks like it at the first 20-30 minutes of the movie where in no dialog, only the tiring chores of a young wood chopper and the terrible noises of chopping saw make a nice start for the film lover. The director makes very steady precise movements with the camera resulting into a slow pace. Still, after 30 minutes or so, this ''silent'' ode to ''man in the woods'' becomes a boring documentary about how wooden logs are chopped and carried to wood buyers due to dialog starting and ..it isn't interesting. Watch the first half (all of the movie) if you like man-nature-solitude themes. The director is very good and possibly "La Libertad" is an experiment for him since his is young also. I guess we may watch his ''progress'' in cinemas soon, hopefully.