Tierra Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Tierra Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 14, 2018

Winner of Goya Awards for Best Special Effects and Best Original Score, Julio Medem's "Tierra" a.k.a. "Earth" (1996) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Olive Films. There are no bonus features on this release. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The exterminator

At first it seems like the young man (Carmelo Gomez) is suffering from some sort of a temporary amnesia and is trying to regain his memories. Images and sounds are slowly creeping back to him and a few feel familiar but he has a difficult time arranging them in the proper order so that they mean something, and the more he struggles, the more confused he becomes. Could it be that his mind is just playing tricks on him?

The real fun begins when a voice exactly like his voice reveals that his name is Angel, that he has a split personality, and that he has recently been released from a mental hospital. Angel does not challenge any of the revelations and continues to shuffle the memories that his mind is telling him belong to him. Then slowly everything begins to make sense. The other Angel, whose voice he has been hearing in his head, emerges and the nature of their relationship becomes easier to understand.

In the midst of it all Angel resumes his work for a farmer who has hired him to exterminate the grubs that have given his wine a very strange ‘earthy’ taste. Soon after, he also finds himself fantasizing about making love to his seductive mistress (Silke) while the other Angel insists that he should pursue a relationship with his wife (Emma Suarez).

It is very easy to understand how Julio Medem’s style evolved over the years if one finds the time to see the likes of Vacas, The Red Squirrel, Tierra, Lovers of the Arctic Circle, Sex and Lucía, Chaotic Ana, and Room in Rome. In the earliest films Medem typically molds time in unique ways so that he can effectively redefine the identities of his characters. Initially, there is some sort of overlapping that occurs which broadens the narrative and then at the right time Medem rearranges its pieces so that he can reveal a completely different side of the personalities of his characters. With the arrival of Lovers of the Arctic Circle sensuality and eroticism are already fully merged and used to do a lot of what was previously exclusively done with the overlapping of memories, flashbacks, and hallucinations. Sex and Lucia and Room in Rome reveal a confident auteur witch a Hitchcockian ability to control and misdirect the viewer’s expectations while doing plenty with stylish erotic content.

In Tierra, Medem repeatedly shifts Angel’s memories and hallucinations so that it isn’t easy to tell just how much of what he sees and recalls is actually real. The film is incredibly fluid, at times almost to the point of being incomprehensibly chaotic, and yet eventually Medem not only manages to arrange everything in a way that makes perfect sense, but also tell a very beautiful romantic story.

As strikingly beautiful the visuals can be, a project of this nature requires a group of actors with an absolutely perfect chemistry on display so that the transition out of the chaos looks convincing. Fortunately, the actors that Medem directed are so good and with such a clear understanding of what was required of them that even if one already knows the resolution at the end a second viewing of Tierra can still be quite the special experience.

Tierra Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Julio Medem's Tierra arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.

There are a coupe of daylight sequences where it almost looks like the transfer might have been slightly sharpened, but it is because the transfer is older. In fact, I projected this film and this is something that becomes virtually impossible to detect on a large screen. The visuals actually have very pleasing fluidity and stability. The disc could have been encoded a bit better so that the darker footage retains proper fluidity across the board, but even this is an aspect of the presentation that does not disappoint. Colors are stable and there is a very nice range of healthy nuances. However, my feeling is that if someone ever created a new master there are highlights that would appear better balanced on it. Not by much to make a significant difference, but some nuances will be expanded. Image stability is excellent. Lastly, there are no distracting damage marks, cuts, stains, or other conventional age-related imperfections. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Tierra Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film's score was composed by Alberto Iglesias, a frequent Pedro Almodovar collaborator, and its role is crucial for the type of atmosphere that is promoted via the narrative. Thankfully, the lossless track is an absolute revelation. Depth, clarity, and especially balance are terrific. If you decide to view the film during the day and you can, crank up the volume of your system.

Tierra Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features on this Blu-ray release.

Tierra Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I would place Tierra amongst the very best of Julio Medem's films. It has an incredible atmosphere and can play with the mind in a way that can temporarily make you feel as if you are sharing the reality of its characters -- and this is a very, very interesting place to explore. Despite being recognized at some big international festivals over the years, outside of his native Spain Medem has effectively remained in the shadow of Pedro Almodovar, and I think that this is very unfortunate because the quality of his films has been a lot more consistent. At this point all but one of the director's big films -- the elusive one being Lovers of the Arctic Circle -- are out on Blu-ray and I urge you to make room in your collection for them. Trust me, from The Red Squirrel to Tierra to Room in Rome these are all special films that you will instantly fall in love with and be happy to own. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.