Palm Trees in the Snow (2015)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Palm Trees in the Snow is a Spanish historical and romantic drama which premiered in 2015.

 

The story, which is set in two very different locations, Spain and Africa, spans five decades (1953-2003).

 

Here is some basic information about it:

 

** Spanish title: Palmeras en la nieve

** Directed by Fernando González Molina

** Screenplay written by Sergio G. Sánchez

 

** Based on a novel by Maria Luz Gabás

** Musical score composed by Lucas Vidal

** Cinematography: Xavi Giménez

 

** Language: Spanish

** Subtitles: English

** Run time: 163 minutes

 

The cast includes the following:

 

The first group

** Mario Casas as Kilian (young) – Jacobo’s brother

** Celso Bugallo as Kilian (old)

** Alain Hernández as Jacobo – Kilian’s brother

** Adriana Ugarte as Clarence – Jacobo’s daughter

** Laia Costa as Daniela – Kilian’s daughter

 

The second group

** Berta Vasquez as Bisila (young) – a nurse

** Victoria Evita Ika as Bisila (old)

** Macarena Garcia as Julia (young) – a family friend

** Petra Martinez as Julia (old)

** Joana Vilapuig as Catalina – Kilian & Jacobo’s sister

 

The third group

** Emilio Gutierrez Caba as Antón – father of Kilian, Jacobo & Catalina

** Daniel Graio as Manuel – a doctor of medicine

** Ramon Agirre as Father Rafael – a Catholic priest

** Djedje Apali as Iniko – Bisila’s son

** Joche Rubio as Fernando – Bisila’s son

 

Maria Luz Gabás (born 1968) is a Spanish author whose first novel Palmeras en la nieve was published in 2012. 

 

An English version Palm Trees in the Snow was published in 2017.

 

I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone. This is why I will not to say much about what happens in this drama. I will only tell you two things:

 

(1) I will tell you what you need to know to understand the structure and the topic of the drama.

(2) I will tell you how it begins.

 

There are two timelines here:

 

# 1. The first is set in 2003 = 

This is the present

# 2. The second runs from 1953 to 1970 = 

This is the past

 

The story flips back and forth between the past and the present. 

 

The story of what happened in the past (1953-1970) is told through a series of flashbacks from the present (2003).

 

There are two locations:

 

# 1. The first location is in Europe

We are in the town Monzón in the province of Huesca in the northeast corner of Spain. Luz Gabás, the author of the book on which the movie is based, was born in this place.

 

# 2. The second location is in Africa

We are on the island Fernando Pó, a part of Spanish Guinea, a Spanish colony which gained independence in 1968.

 

The island is named after the Portuguese explorer Fernão do Pó who “discovered” it in 1472. It was ceded to Spain in 1778. Since 1979, it has been known as Bioko. 

 

When Spanish Guinea became independent in 1968, it became Equatorial Guinea.

 

The title of the book and the drama is a combined reference to the two locations where the story takes place: 

 

The words “Palm Trees” refer to Spanish Guinea and Equatorial Guinea in Africa, while the words “in the the Snow” refer to the mountains in the Spanish province of Huesca which are covered by snow in wintertime.

 

Jacobo’s daughter Clarence is named after the capital of the island, which was once called Port Clarence. Later, it was renamed Santa Isabel. Since 1973, it has been known as Malabo.

 

Here is how the drama begins:

 

In 1953, Kilian and his brother Jacobo travel from Huesca in Spain to Spanish Guinea. It is a long journey. 

 

Their destination is the island Fernando Pó where they are going to meet their father Antón.

 

Together they are going to work on a large estate, where cacao is grown. 

 

Since Kilian, Jacobo and Antón are Spanish and white, they are part of the management of the plantation.

 

The actual work in the field is done by coloured workers who come from different parts of Africa. 

 

The workers are not slaves; they are paid for the work that they do, but working conditions resemble conditions that existed during the time of slavery.

 

In this drama, we follow the two brothers and the people around them during the time when they are working on the plantation. 

 

While there are several romantic lines in the story – past and present – the most important romantic line is the one between Kilian and Bisila.

 

This relationship must remain a secret, because Kilian is a white man, while Bisila is a coloured woman. 

 

At that time, interracial marriage was neither allowed by the law nor accepted by the customs.

 

In the drama, we see how Kilian and Bisila try to deal with the difficult and dangerous situation.

 

The opening scene is set on the island Fernando Pó. The year is 1970. Kilian and Bisila are saying goodbye to each other. This is two years after Spanish Guinea became Equatorial Guinea. 

 

Kilian does not want to go, but he has to. All white people must leave the place. It is a tragic scene. She wishes him good luck. He says his luck is ending right here and now.

 

After this opening scene, the story jumps to the town Monzón in Huesca in the northeast of Spain. The year is 2003. We see the funeral of Jacobo.

 

After the funeral, Clarence (Jacobo’s daughter) talks to Daniela (Kilian’s daughter) about their fathers and the time they spent in Africa.

 

They realize that they do not know much about what happened to them during the years they were there.

 

Kilian is still alive, but he suffers from Alzheimer’s, so he cannot offer much help. Clarence tries to search through some old documents.

 

By chance, she finds a part of letter which seems to mention a woman and some children in Africa.

 

Clarence is intrigued. She becomes interested. What does this mean? What happened to her father and her uncle in Spanish Guinea? She needs to know.

 

In order to find some answers, she decides that she must go to Africa and visit the place where her father and her uncle lived so many years ago.

 

In the drama, we follow Clarence on a long and difficult journey to the island Fernando Pó which is now known as Bioko.

 

This is the end of my presentation. 

 

I do not want to say more than this.

 

What do reviewers say about this historical drama?

 

Here are some results:

 

73 percent = IMDb

77 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)

83 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)

 

On Amazon there are at the moment 71 ratings of this product, including 30 with reviews.

The average rating is 4.4 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 88 percent.

 

As you can see, the ratings are quite good. 

 

In my opinion, they are still too low.

 

Why?

 

I have four reasons:

 

(1) The script is well-written and the actors play their roles well. 

(2) While the drama runs for more than two hours, it is captivating. It does not feel long.

(3) The story is dramatic and often highly emotional. 

(4) The musical score provides a fine background to what we see, and the cinematography is excellent.

 

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).

 

If you are interested in the history of Europe and Africa – in particular the end of colonialism – this drama is definitely something for you.

 

It is highly recommended.

 

PS # 1. While a large part of the story is set in colonial Spanish Guinea and post-colonial Equatorial Guinea, the drama was not filmed there.

 

The African scenes were filmed in the Canary Islands and in Colombia. But the scenes set in Huesca were filmed on location.

 

PS # 2. As you can see from the chart above, there is a long list of characters. At first, it is not easy to understand what is going on: who is who and how are they connected with each other? But after a while, things begin to be clearer.

 

It may be a good idea to watch the drama a second time; then you will know who is who from the very beginning.

 

There is another advantage: if you watch the drama a second time, you will understand the significance of several details as soon as they appear.

 

Perhaps you will not notice or not understand these details the first time you watch the drama.

 

PS 3. Some reviewers have discussed the timeline of the drama, in particular the connection between the past and the present.

 

Some reviewers feel there is a problem with the internal chronology, in particular with the age of Fernando and the age of Iniko when we see them in the present (2003). They seem to be too young.

 

I agree with this point. There is something wrong here, but I have decided to ignore it.

 

I will regard this matter as a minor flaw in a great work of art, and this is why it does not affect my rating of the drama.

 

*****

Palmeras en la nieve

A historical novel

by Maria Luz Gabaz

The original Spanish version

(2012)

 

*****