Drought

The region of Cuates de Australia, in the state of Coahuila de Saragoza (north-eastern Mexico), is semi-arid. Every year, drought forces the local people to leave their homes and move to more hospitable areas, until the rains come and they can return. Adopting a direct style, Everardo Gonzales has filmed the untroubled way of life that precedes this biblical Exodus: the men herding cattle, the women performing household tasks, the children going to school.  Now and again, festivals, religious ceremonies and horse races add spice to life in these small settlements. Then, little by little, living conditions become more difficult: springs dry up, animals start dying of thirst, no one goes out any more. It is time to leave, en masse. All that is left in Cuates de Australia is heat, silence and death. But that is not the final word. As in Hollywood classics with a happy ending, the wind blows, clouds cover the sky and the rains fall. Life can begin all over again.

Luciano Barisone

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