Friday 28 March at 3:00pm
New Farm Cinemas

Afternoons of Solitude, Albert Serra, 2024, 125m
“Albert Serra’s riveting documentary follows star matador Andrés Roca Rey as he confronts the raw force of nature”
The Guardian
A portrait of celebrated matador Andrés Roca Rey inside and outside of the bullfighting arena. Albert Serra’s documentary avoids narration or interviews and instead studies Roca: fighting in Spain’s grandest arenas, travelling in a van with his entourage, and getting dressed and undressed before and after the corridas in quiet hotel rooms.
Filmed in a manner similar to Serra’s last film (his narrative Pacifiction, Container 2022) with saturated colours and telephoto lens that flatten space, Afternoons of Solitude captures the corrida’s combination of obscene violence and pageantry. Solitude does not directly condemn bullfighting—the cruelty is already there on the surface—but instead dissects the rituals, the pomp and clashes of machismo.

Preceded by a recorded Q&A between Albert Serra and academic (and Serra specialist) Danny Fairfax.
This is a ticketed screening and tickets can be purchased here.

R18+ This film contains documentary footage of animal violence and viewer discretion is advised.
In partnership with Plainwater.