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Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
In ‘Afternoons of Solitude,' bullfighting is presented both spiritually and as a blood sport
In the hands of great filmmakers, a documentary can render something that your sensibilities might willfully ignore — even condemn. Such is the rub you may find yourself in with iconoclastic Spanish director Albert Serra's 'Afternoons of Solitude,' his first nonfiction film, an unflinching gaze at bullfighting, its hushed, ornate rituals and gruesome realities. Whether you consider the corrida a cultural tradition worthy of specialized protection or a blood sport long overdue for the dustbin of cruel spectacles, there's no denying its ghastly singularity as an immutable confrontation of human and beast. That's the arena in which Serra, no stranger to a cinema thick with an air of finality, has trained his patient, eerily respectful camera, specifically following Peruvian star matador Andrés Roca Rey across a stretch of competitions. We witness reverent preparation, much ceremony and more blood than any slasher film, and eventually absorb the unmistakable sense that this macho performative world exists almost defiantly against anyone's notion of 'progress.' Just don't expect anything about this elemental contest to be explained to you, or even contextualized. As shameful as you may find bullfighting, the details are what drive this spellbinding, immersive work. Serra is a committed minimalist with a penchant for long takes and it makes him an unusually observant, artfully focused documentarian. His last film was the willfully obtuse 2022 French Polynesian political thriller 'Pacifiction,' which more often oozed colonial malaise through its painterly landscapes than any narrative. Before that, Serra could most often be found mining France's centuries past for mordant tableau vivants of corporeal concern, most notably in his protracted bedchamber drama 'The Death of Louis XIV.' All of which makes 'Afternoons of Solitude' — despite its reflective-sounding title — practically an action film for Serra, whenever longtime cinematographer Artur Tort's camera captures the business of the bullring. Wide views and environmental color are forsaken for a zeroed-in framing that tracks both the bull's grim gladiatorial journey from roving combatant to ritually stabbed, gradually defeated warrior, and Rey's role as foppish, face-contorting maestro with his flourishes of the muleta and theatrical stances. The danger is palpable. In a couple of instances, Rey barely escapes crippling injury. But just as tangible, almost pervasive, is the horror of a majestic creature's inescapable destiny, turned into a florid choreography of dominance. (To some extent, it only ever feels like an unfair showdown.) In the fight sequences, Serra rarely cuts away from an opportunity to watch the light leave a bull's eyes after the death stab, a moment that invariably feels merciful. That truth alone is what keeps the movie's viewpoint about the brutality at the heart of bullfighting breathtakingly honest. There are only two other locations. A fixed camera inside Rey's van captures this baby-faced legend at his most quiet and contemplative, while his team, a testosterone-fueled posse, judiciously pepper him with supportive exclamations ('What you did causes envy in the mediocre!'), wellness checks and analytical comments. In his luxury hotel room, packing Rey's lithe frame into the layers of his intricately embroidered torero costume is a two-person operation, while unoccupied moments can spur a quick sign of the cross or a kissing of rosary beads. The general takeaway is of someone with an abiding seriousness, as if this were a sacred calling, not a profession. Then again, to repeatedly survive facing off a bleeding beast, how could one think of it as just a job? Rey's relationship to the spiritual side of bullfighting becomes ongoing. The movie's title is plural, after all. For his horned opponents, one chosen afternoon — presented as entertainment — is violent and finite. In its graceful intertwining of meditation and obscenity, 'Afternoons of Solitude' gives an ancient, controversial tradition the chance to shock and awe without hype or favor. It's inhumane, it's human and it's a hell of a film.
Eater
5 days ago
- Eater
Beleaguered Sacramento Diner Finds Salvation in a New Home
is the associate editor for the Northern California and Pacific Northwest region writing about restaurant and bar trends, coffee and cafes, and pop-ups. A rare stroke of good news for the always-having-a-hard-time restaurant industry. Institution Jim-Denny's has found a new home after its unforeseen closure on Wednesday, July 2. Broadway's New Helvetia Brewery will take owner N'Gina Guyton and all her restaurant's hamburgers, hot dogs, and chili cheese dogs into its kitchen. As of Friday, July 18, Jim-Denny's lives again, per an Instagram announcement from the two businesses. The preservation of Jim-Denny's is a big deal for Sacramento diners. The restaurant closed in 2020 at 85 years old. Guyton reopened the space three years later, continuing its legacy. The closure earlier this month was a rude surprise to longtime locals. Jim-Denny's will serve in the New Helvetica space from 5 p.m. to close, Wednesday through Sunday, going forward. 'You're gonna love it. We're gonna be here,' Guyton says in the video. 'It's our new permanent home.' East Bay sushi is headed to North Beach Ebiko, a takeout-only Oakland sushi spot from David Liu, will open its third location at 526 Columbus Avenue in August. The San Francisco Standard has the news, reporting that the former Caffe Roma space was the right move for the local entrepreneur, who has family nearby. The original Ebiko opened in 2022, and the second outpost is on San Francisco's First Street; this new spot marks the biggest Ebiko and the first with seating, plus beer and sake. Hit Oakland restaurant makes a return Bar Skula will rise from the ashes of Luka's Taproom & Lounge, a favorite Broadway and West Grand restaurant that closed in 2022. The San Francisco Chronicle reports the 17-year-old restaurant's sequel will take over the former Sidecar space at 542 Grand Avenue. The menu here will blend Peruvian and Mexican food while bringing back popular hits, including the burger and shrimp and grits. Colombian Independence day hits Hayes Valley Franklin Street's Pacifico will host a big Independence Day party on Sunday, July 20. In an Instagram post, restaurant ownership teased a salsa class at 12:30 p.m., a DJ set throughout service, and all the Colombian brunch fare the new-ish restaurant has already brought to the neighborhood in a big way. The party is free to attend. Eater SF All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Eater
5 days ago
- Eater
The Michelin Guide Adds 14 NYC Restaurants Up for 2025 Awards
is the deputy editor of Eater's Northeast region, covering Boston, Philly, D.C. and New York. Based in Boston, she has spent years covering the local restaurant industry. On July 15, Michelin, the tire company and restaurant ratings powerhouse, released a list of 14 new additions to its New York restaurant guide, signaling which new restaurants the inspectors are liking — and earmarking for potential awards later this year. Michelin's additions, which are announced piecemeal throughout the year, join the existing New York guide alongside hundreds of other spots as 'recommended' restaurants. Typically, inspectors have had good first impressions at these restaurants, and they are in the running to possibly be awarded Michelin's more high-powered designations, like stars, later on. First up, it's no surprise that Kabawa, the Caribbean tasting menu spot from Momofuku vet Paul Carmichael, which has been snapping up accolades left and right since its spring debut, is on the list. 'From its elegant dark green dining room with subtle regional references to its sophisticated three-course tasting menu, expect an elevated take on the tropics,' according to the inspectors. Two Thai restaurants made the list, including Hungry Thirsty, the new Carroll Gardens spot run by a band of Ugly Baby veterans, and Glin Thai Bistro, a year-old restaurant in Fort Greene. Inspectors praise the latter restaurant for its 'unique offerings using high-quality ingredients, all with a distinctively Thai look and feel.' In Manhattan, inspectors were impressed by chef Jiho Kim's West Village restaurant Joomak, the second iteration of his former one-Michelin-starred Koreatown spot Joomak Banjum. Adda, the relocated Indian restaurant from the high-flying Unapologetic Foods team (who are also behind the celebrated restaurants Semma and Dhamaka, among others), is on the list, as is Maison Passerelle, Portland chef Gregory Gourdet's sparkling French restaurant inside downtown luxury department store Printemps. Papa San, the Peruvian and Japanese restaurant from acclaimed Llama San creators Juan Correa and Erik Ramirez, and Georgian debut Laliko, home to a formidable 'mother dumpling,' round out the list. The date for Michelin's annual New York awards ceremony has not yet been announced, but it typically takes place towards the end of the year. (Last year, it was held in December.) These 14 restaurants, alongside the other nearly 400 spots in Michelin's recommended New York restaurants list, will be up for the coveted stars and other award designations to be revealed at the ceremony. Eater NY All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
