Without Blood

Synopsis

It is the beginning of the 20th century and life goes on as usual in the house of Manuel Roca, a single physician living with his two children in a remote farm in the sun-burnt countryside of a borderland. When four gunmen seeking revenge turn into the dirt road leading to his residence, Roca desperately tries to protect his kids, but there is nothing he can do against the ferocity of his assailants.

Many years later, Nina, now an adult and the only survivor of the family, meets Tito, a newsagent. It might seem a chance encounter, yet they are both aware it is not: Tito knows the reason for Nina’s visit and she had been looking for him. While an increasingly tensed exchange takes place between the two, it becomes clear that the war is over for many people, but not for everyone, that the past keeps on burning in the present and that vengeance, like an inescapable looming shadow, takes on unexpected shapes.

Director's note

Based on the novel by Alessandro Baricco (edited in Italy by Feltrinelli).

Photography by Seamus McGarvey
Editing by Xavier Box
Scenography by Jon Hutman
Costumes by Anna Munro
Music by Rutger Hoedemaekers