SheffDocFest 2024: The Boy and the Suit of Lights

First documentary feature from Edinburgh based film director set in Spain 

Inma De Reyes has crafted a fine modern-day document of an almost antiquated artefact of a bygone era in her hometown of Castellon, Spain. The Spanish title is El Nino Y El Traje De Luces.

Bullfighting is one of the most identifiable elements of Spanish heritage and yet it is a dying form of entertainment in the modern world with animal rights activists fighting for better care of the poor animals and also the stardom that came with the pastime waning due to the rise of better money in more mainstream sports such as football and basketball. 

De Reyes over the course of five years follows a young boy, Borja, as he navigates his puberty into young manhood with the dream of becoming a bullfighter while helping his single mother who works hard to provide for her and brother Erik. The other mainstay in his life is his grandfather, Matias, a man who could not fulfil his dream of bullfighting and so vicariously lives through his grandchildren.

The five year format - reminiscent of Linklater's Boyhood (2014) - does not use intertitles to inform the audience of a new year, instead we have the raising of a musical score to signify a movement in time sometimes bringing light to a new year or a dark cloud such as the passing of a loved one during the global pandemic. 

In terms of the lead character, Borja's expressive eyes allow us to see how he takes in this awe-inspiring arena of sport. He is very much aware of the opportunity to be something else in the world is being afforded in contrast to the underprivileged nature he finds himself in.

While filmed through the documentary medium, this is essentially a coming-of-age story for Borja and his younger brother; as they come to terms with the pressures of the decisions made in teenage years to better themselves and the hard work your parents do to keep the negativity of the world away from their children, and yet these obstacles cannot be ignored the older you become.

Empathetic in its tone and delicate handling of the complex sport while embracing the romantic notions bullfighting elicits in the Spanish cultural landscape; The Boy and the Suit of Lights is a film with lessons to learn and where even the best laid plans get changed. 

Financed by Screen Scotland, Chicken and Egg, Rustic Canyon and Women Make Movies; 

The Boy and the Suit of Lights receives its World Premiere at Sheffield DocFest on Friday 14th June in the International Feature Competition.

Sheffield DocFest: Sheffield International Documentary Festival (sheffdocfest.com)