Startingly Lighthearted
Director Shervin Kermani only needs eight minutes to make you fall in love with Ramón.
Docufiction short Ramón Who Speaks to Ghosts was shot on La Palma in the Canary Islands, an area devastated by the 2021 Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption.
Despite its short run time, this fictional interpretation of a real tragedy is not afraid to tackle the contradictions of loss.
Death can be funny. Living can be what breaks your heart.
The cinematography is stark and elegant, sweeping over the landscape and drawing the eye to points of beauty. Sky blue buildings are blown open in the rubble. Volleyball nets stand unused on beaches of dark sand. Sometimes, there is just charred earth.
Cinematographer Karla Reyes finds beauty in the ruins. The titular Ramón (Pedro Moisés Herrera Concepción) finds life in them. He walks around with a microphone, listening to ghosts and discussing his conversations with them.
At times, the film is startlingly lighthearted.
“Isn’t it ridiculous?” Ramón says, showing the viewer an empty towel on the beach. “A ghost that has no skin and is suntanning. And then I’m the crazy one.”
This gentle humor makes Ramón instantly lovable. He is kindhearted, emotional, and stunningly empathetic. The film asks you to listen to Ramón with the trust and compassion that Ramón shows the spirits of the island.
Ramón Who Speaks to Ghosts (8 minutes, Spain/Canada/Mexico, rated PG, in Spanish) is one of five short films (including Akababuru: Expression of Astonishment, Boyfighter, La Mayordomía, and Voices from the Abyss) screening during Shorts #5: Stories from the Americas at the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival April 23-28.