Araya

In 1959, documentarian Margot Benacerraf traveled a tiny island in northeastern Venezuela to photograph the lives of a people whose entire lives for generations have been controlled by the salt they mine from the surrounding marshes. The result, largely unknown in the US outside critic’s circles, is a complex and beautiful story. depending more on images than actual story, the film shows us the daily routine of the people, a routine that for them barely changes in the minutest detail from day to day or year to year. The only variation in their lives comes from nature, the cruel mistress of the island who can be their friend (such as when the fishing nets are full) or their greatest enemy.