Mallorca: A quiet, ghostly look at a lost island

Is it worth your time?

If you have an itch for old-school celluloid and the kind of travel footage that feels like a dream someone else had, then yeah, put this on. But if you're the type who needs a The Stunt Man level of kinetic energy to keep your eyes open, you're gonna hate this. It’s slow. It’s silent. It’s basically a living postcard from a version of Spain that doesn't exist anymore.

There’s this strange, heavy silence hanging over the whole thing. You aren't getting any of the modern, noisy tourist vibes here.

María Forteza basically just pointed a camera at the water and the stone walls and let it sit there. It’s not trying to sell you a vacation package.

Bits and pieces

• The light on the Mediterranean water looks like it’s made of actual silver, which is something you just don't see in modern digital stuff.
• Some of the shots are framed like a painting, but then a boat moves and reminds you it’s real life.
• I found myself staring at the texture of the old stone buildings for way too long.

The pacing is entirely up to the wind, honestly. Sometimes the frame holds on a donkey or a tree for just a second too long, and you start to wonder if the projectionist fell asleep.

But that’s kind of the point, right? It’s not meant to be analyzed to death. It’s just there.

It feels like stumbling onto someone’s dusty attic box of reels. You’re not supposed to be watching it, but you can’t look away because it feels so personal.

Watching this made me think about how much of our own travel memories are just blurry, weirdly specific moments. Like that one time in Painted Ponies where the scenery does the heavy lifting, but with way more grit and dust.

It doesn't have the narrative push of a Hush Money, obviously. It’s a mood piece. A very short, very sun-bleached mood piece.

Maybe it’s not for everyone. Actually, it’s definitely not for everyone. But for ten minutes? It’s a nice way to disappear into a different decade. 🌊