The Tiniest Place

“How marvelous, how marvelous,” an elderly woman exclaims upon seeing tiny chicks emerge from their eggs. Her enthusiasm for the scene demonstrates her strength and vitality, which all but disappeared during her country's civil war in the 1980s. This was when her 15-year-old daughter was brutally murdered by government troops, together with most of the other inhabitants of the remote village of Cinquera in the mountains of El Salvador. Nevertheless, the woman – along with other former residents – returned after 12 years of war to rebuild the village. Director Tatiana Huezo, whose grandmother is from Cinquera, imbues the history of this place with a universal significance by contrasting the past with the present and death with life. She shows the beauty of everyday activities, the solidarity and resilience of the community, while in voice-over we hear the woeful stories of lost loves – as if we are reading the thoughts of the people we are watching. Slivers of stories float like the morning mist across the trees in a montage that makes the passing of time palpable. Every now and then, time seems to stand still. Meanwhile, black-and-white photos depict the young residents of the village who were killed during the war.