A new documentary offers an unflinching, close-quarters view of the world of bullfighting, focusing on the rituals and psychology of a celebrated matador. The film is a challenging visual experience, particularly for viewers sensitive to animal suffering.
The camera’s gaze is fixed not on ethical debate, but on the stark mechanics of the corrida. The spectacle is presented with a ritualistic intensity, documenting the precise movements and stylized posturing of the matador as he engages with the bull. The film meticulously captures the preparation—the dressing in ornate, traditional costume, the quiet moments of rehearsal—framing the entire event as a highly codified performance.
Within the arena, the focus is on the confrontation between human artifice and raw, animal force. The matador’s repertoire is a study in controlled gesture: a flick of the head, a balletic sidestep, a fixed, dramatic stare. His every move is calculated to project dominance and style in the face of danger.
This atmosphere is amplified by the constant praise from the matador’s inner circle, who speak of the “truth” and “beauty” of his work. Yet, the film also captures moments where this control shatters, as the matador is thrown to the ground or slammed against the barrier, only to rise and continue. In these instances, a more primal and visceral reality breaks through the ceremony.
Ultimately, the documentary immerses the audience so completely in this tradition’s internal logic that it adopts its perspective. The result is a compelling, if troubling, portrait of a darkly compelling human ritual, one that leaves the silent, central participants—the bulls—as a visceral, suffering presence on the screen.
