An extremely impressive first feature from a young Basque director, Montxo (pronounced Moncho) Armendariz, Tasio takes the simplest of stories-the life of a man from childhood through middle-age-and fills it with such warmth and insight that he makes everything about the film seem refreshingly new. The title role is played by three actors (each a different stage of Tasio's life), yet continuity between them, in terms of gesture and expression, is remarkable. Growing up in the rugged terrain of the Urbasa hills, Tasio is sent to work early to help support his family, learning the trade of charcoal-maker by the time he's reached adolescence. A youthful romance turns into marriage, and soon he has a family to support. Many of his contemporaries argue that there's no future for anyone in the hills, and head off to the city for work, yet Tasio stays, at least partially to continue a tradition which gives his life meaning. Produced by Elías Querejeta (The Spirit of the Beehive, et al), Tasio doesn't sentimentalize rural life, but rather observes it and allows it to proceed according to its own special rhythms. Richard Peña