Bosco

Bosco is a tiny Italian village in shades of gray and brown. Of its 123 houses, only seven are inhabited, and it seems as if the hamlet is being overrun by nature. Its location is in a narrow valley between high hills, surrounded by burgeoning chestnut trees.

On the other side of the ocean, in Uruguay, lives the filmmaker’s grandfather, whose ancestors once emigrated from Bosco. For 13 years, Alicia Cano filmed both her grandfather and the remaining inhabitants of the village in Italy. In just a few disarming and atmospheric sketches, she evokes sympathy for these people who live as if time has stood still, but are confronted every day with its passing.

Much has changed in 13 years: loved ones have been lost, and Grandpa himself is getting old and frail. Meanwhile he dreams of Bosco. He’s never been there, but when he closes his eyes, he sees the houses, the people, and the cemetery where his distant relatives lie.