Strange River (Estrany Riu)

😁 Strange River (Estrany Riu), also known as Silent River, dir. Jaume Claret Muxart, 2025, Spain/‌Germany, 103 min., in Catalan, English, German, and French with English subtitles
Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 5:30 PM, Vogue Theatre
Coming soon to a theater near you!
🏆 Reykjavik IFF, Golden Puffin

Strange River (Estrany Riu)

Frameline blurb: Like an uncanny fairy tale — by turns thrilling, mysterious, and erotic — Strange River casts a marvelous spell on its viewers as it unfolds a transformational week in the life of 15-year-old Didac. A handsome boy from Barcelona, Didac is somewhat reluctantly along for the ride on a camping trip with his close-knit family, as they bike along a scenic rushing river somewhere in Germany. But Didac is being disturbed by strange dreams (or are they apparitions?) of a beautiful boy water nymph, and to his sensitive parents (who are very aware that Didac may be pining for a boy back home), their adolescent seems distant and changing. As the trip continues, the spell of the river is revealed to be a powerful force in all of their lives.

Rich with capital-R Romantic moodiness (they’re in Goethe country, after all) and a score that doesn’t restrain itself from swelling into rapturous Ravel or haunting Bach, Strange River captures both the wonder and terror of sexual awakening.

My take: First, “somewhere in Germany” is along the Danube, in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg (and maybe neighboring Bavaria), ending at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Ulm. The main character (who may be 16 rather than 15) is played by newcomer Jan Monter Palau, who was nominated for both a Gaudí Award and a Goya Award.

The pace of the film is slow, befitting a summer family long-distance bicycle trip, allowing time for tensions to appear between the parents, between the brothers, and between father and son. Notably absent is any apprehension from the parents about the possibility that their son is in love with another boy. It’s a pleasant coming-of-age plot, without the focus on the coming out part. The main character’s feelings are palpable, as he mopes about the fact that the boy back home doesn’t seem to reciprocate his feelings, plus the fact that he doesn’t want to be on the trip, and then the mystery of this naiad who keeps appearing, just out of reach. It’s a good watch, well worth the time; highly recommended.

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