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6.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Fiestas Cristianas/Fiestas Profanas remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like watching old, grainy film stock flicker on a screen while wondering what the hell you’re actually looking at, you’re in the right place. But if you need a host to explain the history of Holy Week in Cartagena with a nice, steady voiceover, stay away. This isn't a history lesson; it's a sensory mess.
I found myself squinting at the screen a lot. Some of these shots are so degraded that they look like they were pulled out of a puddle, which honestly just makes them cooler.
José Val del Omar had a weird way of looking at things. You can see the DNA of his style in moments where the camera just refuses to hold still, capturing these frantic, sweaty faces in the crowd. It’s got that raw, untamed energy that you just don't get in modern, polished restoration projects.
There’s a specific sequence during the Murcia Spring Festival that feels almost hallucinatory. The light hits the dust in the air in a way that makes everything look like it’s melting. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy found in Pep, though the tone here is obviously much more tied to ritual.
Honestly? Some of the cuts are jarring. They don’t follow any logic I could figure out, but that’s the point, I guess. You’re just dropped into these massive, chaotic processions.
It’s not perfect. It’s barely a "movie" in the sense that most people use the word. It feels like a project that was barely saved from the bin, and that’s exactly why I liked it. It makes me think about how much stuff we’ve just let rot away in storage lockers over the decades.
It definitely isn't as cohesive as something like Mathusalem, but it hits harder in the gut. You don't watch this to learn; you watch it to get lost in the flicker. Just don't expect a satisfying ending, because it feels like it just... stops. Which is fine. Some things don't need a neat little bow on top. 🎞️
