Medem's acclaimed first feature is an epic portrayal of two feuding families spanning sixty years, from 1875 to 1936 and the Spanish Civil War. Carmelo Gómez plays three roles in the film's four intertwined short stories about two Carlist soldierone who dies due to the cowardice of the otherand their families, united through the love affair between the son and daughter (Ana Torrent) of the soldiers. Set against the hauntingly beautiful Basque countryside, the film both mocks and accentuates this rural expression by its unusual perspective-much of this drama of betrayal, butchery, and rampant passions is seen through the eyes of the cows that are so crucial to these people's livelihoods. (The bovine gaze has variously been categorized as "impartial," "uncomprehending," and "bored disinterest" by critics unwittingly playing their part in Medem's cinematic trick.) Other visual jokes similarly revolve around "Basqueness"-the typical log-chopping competition becomes a thing of magical realism. But this in no way lessens the impact. Stephen Holden wrote in the New York Times, "This stunning feature debut is clearly the work of a born filmmaker with a talent for translating memory into images so sharp and sensuous you can almost touch and smell them."