Patagonia is a 2010 road movie directed by Marc Evans. Produced by S4C it is widely regarded to be a Welsh film, however maintains several characteristics of a transnational film. With a plot that cuts between Argentinian national Cerys (Marta Lubos) exploring Wales and Rhys (Matthew Gravelle) and Gwen (Nia Roberts) travelling through Patagonia in Argentina.
Patagonia frequently touches upon the Welsh diasporic population of as Cerys uses her remaining days searching Wales for her homeland, a country she never lived in but feels a closeness to because of her family history. Likewise Rhys is exploring the Welsh population in Patagonia through the Welsh chapels; religious non conformism being one of the motivating factors in Welsh citizens searching for a new homeland.
The film encompasses a lot of fantastical elements, Cerys approaches life with something resembling a sixth sense, certain that she will know her homeland when she gets there, without much in the way of real evidence. But her presence in the film is uplifting and motivational for the audience especially in comparison to Rhys and Cerys’ who’s relationship is falling apart.
Duffy makes an appearance as the multi-talented love interest of Alejandro, with whom he makes an uncanny connection and meets up with again despite all odds. She sings beautiful music and begins to change the Welsh scenery from the dull and grey tones that dominated the earlier locations to a much more folktale region, much more in keeping with Cerys’ vision for the land of her heritage.
The diaspora is the main theme of this film, with the flooding of Tryweryn being the centre of representation of Welsh disenfranchisement, which culminates in Cerys’ inability to return to her grandparents farm, despite having gotten so close.
However while Tryweryn is portrayed as an unjust event, it doesn’t defer Cerys who’s death is not treated as tragedy by the filmmakers. What could have been the culmination of an overwhelming and difficult trip that lead to disappointment at the hands of British reservoir building was instead much more hopeful.
Her Viking funeral is ceremonial for Aljandro and Cissy who want to fulfil her dying wish to return to her homeland. However I don’t believe this is when she actually returned home. What began as a grey and stressful trip in Cardiff and a venture through the Valleys and coasts of Wales as they reached one wrong farm after another turned into a much more summery and fairytale like journey as the gangs of thugs were replaced with wholesome families who made her at home, embodying what it means to be Welsh. We see Cerys is more at home with each passing minute and while she is looking for a specific farm, her true goal was to be with the people of Wales and to be at one with the country she has always wanted to know.
To me the Viking funeral is neither here nor there, its cinematically very pleasing, but is one of the elements of the film that make it more fantasy than reality, because I looked it up and it turns out you can’t just give someone a Viking funeral, there is paperwork and bureaucracy to get through.
Instead Cerys finds her way home when she is sitting on a bench in the sun, next to the reservoir that was once her mother’s home. Despite the terrible news, she no less feels like she is home, she has spent time with people that she loves, she has been welcomed and accepted by country she longed to return to and in her last moments not only is she happy but she’s home.
T H E N A I V E F I L M M A K E R 