Lee Eisenberg Marc Evans's "Patagonia" is one of the many movies that focuses on cultures that we don't usually see. In this case, it's Argentina's Welsh community. The movie contains two parallel stories: one is a Welsh couple that goes to Argentina to photograph the Welsh chapel in Patagonia, the other is an elderly Argentine woman who goes to Wales to see her ancestral farm. Both sets of people will have quite the experience.This is one of only two movies that I've seen in which Welsh gets spoken; the other is "Hedd Wyn", about a noted Welsh poet (both movies were the United Kingdom's submission to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film). Both movies cast a perceptive eye on the Welsh culture. And in this one, we get to see both the Argentine plains and the Welsh countryside. You'll probably want to go to both countries after seeing it. Outstanding movie.

dipesh parmar 'Patagonia' is a film directed by Marc Evans, providing a unique insight into two cultures that you wouldn't have ever considered to co-exist. I wasn't aware that Patagonia is a Welsh settlement in Argentina, since the mid 19th century where Welsh citizens were invited by the Argentine government to come to live in Patagonia. Miraculously, Patagonia still retains its Welsh community and is still thriving.The film is anchored by two stories, one spoken in Welsh and the other in Spanish, where both sets of people are searching for their identities. Rhys (Matthew Gravelle) is a photographer assigned with capturing the essence of Patagonia, and takes his girlfriend Gwen (Nia Roberts) for a working holiday. Travelling in the opposite direction is the elderly Argentinian Cerys (Marta Lubos) who wants to trace her ancestors before she dies, and misleads the unwitting teenage Alejandro (Nahaul Perez Biscayart) to come with her. The photography is stunning, with some wonderful scenes of the contrasts between the lush green hills of Northern Wales and the dusty deserts of the Patagonian landscapes. Both sets of couples experience various states of discomfort and joy in trying to find themselves, providing a nice balance between them which makes the film work. 'Patagonia' may often be cliché-ridden, sentimental and implausible but there is a warmth to the characters, especially Cerys and Alejandro, which is often very touching. Its one of those films which tugs on your emotions more than your imagination, and forces you to sit down and just enjoy watching an interesting sequence of events.

jhenchard Watched this on its Welsh TV premiere as I now live in Wales (although I am not a Welsh speaker). The film was a pleasure to watch compared to much of the Hollywood fare that is served up and is certainly worth watching.However, I have to agree with the previous reviewer that the film was ruined for my by the ridiculous endings to both stories particularly after the Grandmother died in Wales. It was completely ludicrous and ruined what could have been a much better film.On the positive side listen out for Duffy (who appears in the film) singing a Spanish version of Hope There's Someone the beautiful Antony and The Johnsons track at the very end of the film.

Rob I saw this film without knowing much about it except that there was a migration of some Welsh people from Europe to Patagonia in the 1865. There are two stories unfolding simultaneously in the present day; one of a Welsh couple travelling in Patagonia and the other of an elderly grandmother and her teenage nephew travelling in Wales in search of her mother's farm. Each story is utterly convincingly told, amid breathtaking textures of Argentinan and Walsh landscapes and although there is no connection at all between them, the two stories balance each other perfectly in the way the relationships develop.This film is of course in Spanish and Welsh but is intelligently subtitled in English so as not to damage the film's beauty.