Céline Roustan
In Acapulco, one of the most famous tourist spots is La Quebrada, a towering cliff from which divers jump into the sea below. The La Quebrada Cliff Divers, formed in the ’30s, has passed down its deep passion for diving through generation after generation. In Las voces del despeñadero (Voices from the Abyss), writer/directors Irving Serrano and Victor Rejón paint an intimate portrait of that community, its members and their love for this dangerous sport. The film’s gorgeous cinematography granting the film a truly breathtaking, immersive quality.
Full disclosure: this film combines many elements that usually make me roll my eyes – black-and-white imagery, voice over, and Vivaldi. However, I do like to be challenged in my beliefs and Voices from the Abyss certainly proved me wrong. I was genuinely surprised by how captivated I was by the imagery – a reaction that was highlighted when I found myself holding my breath from the moment the divers jumped until they resurfaced. That’s how powerful the film is. Even with a lengthier runtime for a short, it grips you with a structure that invites you into the community, getting to know the divers personally and understanding the inner drive that keeps bringing them back to La Quebrada.
“We wanted to pay homage to one of the most iconic cultural practices in Mexico”
“We were drawn to make this film because there were no documentaries portraying the show of the La Quebrada cliff divers”, Serrano and Rejón explained. Adding that they “wanted to pay homage to one of the most iconic cultural practices in Mexico, which has been alive for over 89 years”. That weight of history is present throughout their film: we see it in how they capture the different generations, and how diving has become a tradition passed down like a cultural practice. The short’s format is very poetic and the framing of the participants echoes this sense of community and its almost spiritual power. This is not a sports documentary. Instead, Voices from the Abyss approaches these impressive dives – and the divers themselves – through a very emotional and intimate lens.
Serrano and Rejón use every tool at their disposal to ensure their short is a cinematic experience. Instead of relying on the talking head format, they adopt a portrait-like approach where the divers share their experiences through voice-over and the camera movements allow us to get to know them. Finding the perfect balance between introducing the individuals and depicting the group as a whole, Serrano – who also edited the film – creates a structure where the personal testimonies contribute to the larger portrait of the community. This pacing also gives the film a rhythm that recreates the experience of being there in Acapulco: witnessing the jumps and then following the divers as they climb back up – only to leap once again.
“The film was shot in black and white to evoke the delicate balance between life and death that defines each dive.” – The directors discuss their aesthetic choices.
Shot by Eliott Reguera, the cinematography of Voices from the Abyss is nothing short of mesmerizing. The location itself is inherently cinematic, but the way he constructs his frames certainly works to enhance the potency of the narrative. The black-and-white photograph feels like the perfect complement to the poetic approach of the film – making each jump all the more beautiful to watch. From the moment of the leap, to the splash below, and the exit from the water, the camera brings us along for the entire journey. It conveys the divers’ specific perception of time, while framing them with a visual elegance that completes the filmmakers’ aims of paying homage to this tradition.
Ahead of its online premiere on S/W, Voices from the Abyss hit the festival circuit with notable stops at Hot Docs and Camerimage, and award wins at Hollyshorts, Morelia and Guadalajara – making it eligible for Academy Awards consideration. Both directors are currently working on their documentary feature debuts: Serrano with sweet.emo.boy and Rejón with Se van a la mar.