The Sacred Spirit
A little girl goes missing in the Spanish city Elche, a community where most people’s lives are guided by esoteric theories of UFOs and other supernatural phenomenons.
Tragedy strikes in the Spanish city Elche when little girl Vanesa goes missing. Her 24-year-old mother Charo and twin sister Verónica are left devastated. The disappearance also creates stirrings in their local community, one that turns out to be quite eccentric: The inhabitants of Elche are overwhelmingly prone to pseudo-scientific theories of aliens and eternal life. Charo’s brother is part of a UFO observation club, and their mother has long functioned as the neighborhood’s go-to psychic. As it turns out, this collective psychosis hides some very dark secrets.
The Sacred Spirit is an understated and elegant film about the dangers of group mentality. Despite its serious theme, the story is full of dark humor and quirky characters. Shot entirely on analog film, it also has a warm and beautiful cinematography, with an attention to detail in every scene. Comprising drama, comedy and sci-fi, The Sacred Spirit is both a delightful and disturbing experience.
Johannes Holtmon
Director
Chema García Ibarra (f. 1980) is born in Elche, Spain. He has previously written and directed several award-winning short films, such as The Attack of the Robots from Nebula-5 and Protoparticles. Since 2015 he has also been a lecturer at the Madrid Cinema and Audiovisual School. The Sacred Spirit is his first feature film.
This film is part of
Original title Espíritu Sagrado
Country Spain
Year 2021
Director Chema García Ibarra
Screenplay Chema García Ibarra
Cinematography Ion de Sosa
Producer Miguel Molina, Leire Apellaniz, Marina Perales, Xavier Rocher, Enes Erbay, Adán Aliaga
Cast Llum Arques, Nacho Fernandéz, Rocío Ibáñez, Joanna Valverde
Production Company Apellaniz y de Sosa, Jaibo Films, La Fabrica Nocturna Cinéma og Teferruat Film
Runtime 1h 38m
Language Spanish
Subtitles English
Genre Drama, Comedy
Format DCP
Age limit 9
Links IMDb