Nocturne 29
Nocturno 29
Portabella’s first feature, co-scripted by poet Joan Brossa, became one of the most influential works of the Barcelona avant-garde, although like all his early films, it circulated only in an underground fashion. Eschewing dialogue, the director constructs a non-narrative story in fragments that reveal the daily lives of an adulterous couple interspersed with a cryptic stream of unrelated imagery. The title of this homage to directors including Eisenstein, Antonioni, Bergman, and Buñuel refers to the 29 “black years” of the Franco dictatorship. — chicago.cervantes.es
Why it matters
Nocturne 29 delivers a hypnotic, dialogue-free plunge into Spain’s shadowed past, blending avant-garde cinema with haunting political subtext.
- A masterclass in visual poetry, co-scripted by Joan Brossa, that demands patience and rewards with layers of meaning.
- Echoes of Eisenstein’s montage, Antonioni’s alienation, and Buñuel’s surrealism shape its fragmented narrative.
- A rare underground artifact from late-60s Barcelona, capturing the suffocation of Franco’s “29 black years.”
- For fans of experimental horror and historical hauntings, this is less a story than a mood—dark, disquieting, and profoundly political.
Director
Cast
Horror DNA
Gore
14
Slow Burn
33
Psychological
57
Supernatural
0
Creature
0
Disturbing
17
Fun Factor
0
Cerebral
71
Survival
0
