Following on from their critically acclaimed The Truffle Hunters, documentary duo Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw have sniffed out another rare delicacy in Gaucho Gaucho. This gorgeous black-and-white film focuses on the lives and traditions of a community of gauchos, the wild northwest cowboys of Argentina. The film is intimate and expansive, immersive and immense, operatic and folksy. It is a film that takes you on a journey, often at a gallop, but never strays far.
The film opens with a man sleeping out on the prairie and it takes a moment to realise he is sleeping on his horse, which is also sound asleep. Immediately, the filmmakers depict the symbiotic relationship between man and horse. But it’s not just about men: there is also a gaucha, seventeen-year-old schoolgirl Guada. She wears her wide beret and trousers in lieu of a uniform, earning a telling-off from her teacher. She’s a girl apart, belonging to a world apart. She’s beautiful, serene and utterly determined, participating in rodeos, taming horses, taking a few falls and is the apple of her proud father’s eye. She represents both the old traditions of the gaucho and the acceptance of change in this close-knit community.
Much of the film depicts conversations, often face to face, that at times feel a little contrived. The more natural duos are the father and son team of Solano and five-year-old Jony. Solano teaches his kid the ropes during the long hot summer but is also preparing him for his first year at school. Elsewhere, two brothers – Lucas and Pancho – spend their days and nights out in the open, living like cowboys of yore. To let their family know they’re okay, they set fire to a cactus to send a smoke signal. It’s hard to imagine these boys spending their days sitting at a desk.
Other characters include ‘Santito’ Carlo, who has myriad jobs in the community, including delivering papers on horseback and acting as the local radio DJ. Then there’s Lelo, the elder octogenarian statesman who talks of his love of drink and women. When asked if he could go back to his youth, he states he would do it all again. And who could blame him?
As well as the changes to the old ways, there is also the change wrought by climate change. The families talk of previous terrible droughts and pray for rain. Condors – who have fewer animals to hunt in the wild – prey on the cattle, which struggle in search of watering holes that have not dried up. Farming is more problematic and there are plenty of dramatic images of the dusty, arid land. When it does start to rain, you can almost smell it.
This is a world filled with fabulous characters, all of them viewed with respect and affection. Every frame is a treat, whether it contains the silhouette of a maté-sipping gaucho, Guada lying on a horse, or Santito dancing in traditional costume. The rodeos and prairie gallops are set to opera and the choice of music befits the grandeur and spectacle of these magnificent horsemen and women. This is a gorgeous film that eulogises a noble community and an endangered way of life. Viva los gauchos!
