The incredible experience that is And Still the Seed is unlike anything I’ve ever had in the past. It’s a mystical journey through a world that’s inherently connected to our lives but we often fail to recognize. What’s important is that the effect of Llaima Suwani Sanfiorenzo‘s project was achieved, and tomorrow, I’ll see some things differently. Not too bad for a 14-minute film that’s anything but conventional in a narrative sense.
And Still the Seed follows a story narrated (off-camera) by a tree. One that’s undoubtedly ancient and holds many secrets. The viewers are taken on a surrealist trip through the vast world of Puerto Rico’s trees. The island’s culture has always been linked to this environment, and trees are a major player in how this culture is interpreted today.
The way I see it, there were many ways to make a film like And Still the Seed. The director simply decided to make a less traditional movie with the resources at hand and ended up telling a whole other story. In the film, she uses the almost otherworldly footage to transport us to an underworld that we were aware existed, but found ourselves disconnected from it. Yes, there is a bit of an ecology commentary attached to the feature, but the writer doesn’t go for a full-blown exposition about the problems of climate change and other adversities. Instead, she tells a beautiful story in the voice of the wisest creature of all: those who have been there since the beginning.
The Guayacán tree, a 600-year-old tree in Puerto Rico, is the reliable narrator that takes you on something groundbreaking: a film that’ll make you address the situation from several perspectives. And Still the Seed is both educational and artistic, with the protagonists being the sentient creatures that, once and for all, need to be recognized as the other fighters making this world better for generations to come.
While it becomes a little bit too cryptic at some point, there’s no denying the importance of And Still the Seed. It’s centuries of evolution and culture mashed into a sample of 14 minutes that even takes the liberties to be more artistic than expected. Films of this nature can sometimes feel like pamphlets, but the extensive work by the director resulted in a pristine product with enough substance to make you see down and perhaps talk to the living organisms responsible for your next breath.
Film critic. Lover of all things horror. Member of the OFCS. RT Approved Critic.
