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The Criollo is a horse from the Pampas, the vast, grassy, ​​and fertile plains in the heart of Argentina. A symbol of freedom, independence, and endurance. For such were the Gauchos – nomadic horsemen from the Pampas. Today, they are ghosts who have left behind a lasting cultural myth in Argentina. A mysterious country with the emotionality and elegance of tango.

I don’t know much about it, so I was excited to see the short Argentine films that Brian Nolan organized in Galway as part of the Iberian Film Festival – IBERSCREEN.

Before the screening, Rocio Romero played guitar and sang two songs by Chavela Vargas. Then, when the film trailers appeared on the screen, we all started clapping along to the rhythmic music. This warmed the tiny Nun’s Island Theatre. And with a flushed face, we began to absorb the films.

La Canoa de Ulises by Director Diego Fió, this is a very short story that I won’t soon forget.

Itaeté – father and his teenage son, Ulises are building a traditional wooden boat in the jungle. They are from the Guarani tribe. Isabelino Paredez, who plays the father, is actually from the Guarani tribe. That, he is an indigenous inhabitat of South America – and is he not an actor.

Ulises has headphones all the time and dries his sneakers by the fire. He becomes bored with what his father tells him and reluctantly helps him. His father, calls him Vaiyá in Indian, not Ulises.

Bud suddenly, everything changes. For me, the action is terrifying for a little while. And at the end, Ulises will be rapping in the Guarani language an absolutely awesome song. This is a film about tradition that we want to drown out the sirens of globalization.

Another film that keeps popping into my head is Trees oraciones sobre la Argentina directed by Nele Wohlatz.

The image of a running horse on a white-and-beige plain. Although there’s no such image in the film. There were mountains, trees and skiers descending them. And then there’s the archival footage, too. The film begins with a dialogue about archival footage.

And then, unexpectedly, it turns into a Spanish lesson with small elements of history and culture. Only to fade into white at the end, or melt like snow. Or into fiction? I didn’t manage to capture it. But it was precisely this lack of immortalize. The totally surprise, it is the end. That’s it. And at the same time, a certain etherealness that appealed to me the most.

And it stayed with me as an image of Argentina. Which I had only touched lightly and already loved. Maybe someday I’ll find out. Or maybe it wasn’t a film at all, but a poem.

We saw two more films: Shakti, directed by Martin Rejtan, probably set in Bueanos Aires, about a young man in mourning and depression. About accidentaly meetings, food, a Jewish family. Quite a mix, but with humor.

And also Las credenciales by Manuel Ferrari, which takes place on the way. The man first travels by boat, then boards a small ferry, then into the train, and finally he takes plane to Europe. It’s not entirely clear who the main character is. Maybe he’s someone else entirely. Maybe he’s everyone?

So who is this Argentina you’re leaving behind? The one you dream of? The most European? Or the Indian? A cultural mix in four climates. Yerba Mate several times a day. Ordinary life. Emigration.

A criollo runs across an endless plain, enjoying the trees around and the blue sky. This very moment.

It was good to stop in the world of you in this gloomy January.

The cover photo was taken by Paz Arando.