Run time: 120 mins

A family of peach farmers struggle against the relentless tide of industry in Carla Simón’s superb Golden Bear winner.

The Solé family’s orchard has passed down from father to father for generations, but now, it is in danger of destruction at the hands of solar panel developers. The family’s ownership of the land exists as a verbal agreement following an act of kindness many years ago, but that is meaningless to a company looking to transform their luscious landscape into empty space on which to build.

Dread and inevitability cause fractures among the Solés, played here by non-professional actors. Quimet, the masculine leader of the pack, bears the weight of this seismic shift to their way of life the heaviest. He is too stubborn and defiant to accept a losing battle and find comfort in those who are experiencing this impending loss with him. In many ways, this is a film about the evolution of traditional family roles, but it’s also a reminder of the challenges all generations of a family must deal with.

Both a powerful family drama and a lament for earthly traditions, Alcarràs perfectly captures both the love and the labours that come with a dying profession.