La Libertad

This fluidly constructed documentary from Argentinean director Lisandro Alonso follows one day in the life of Misael Saavedra, a woodsman who lives and works in a rural community. As Saavedra rises with the dawn, he sets out to chops down several trees, and then cleans them of their bark before cutting them into timber ready for the fireplace; he eventually takes his day's work to the market, where it fetches him $27. As the rising and setting of the sun bookends Saavedra's day, he is also at the mercy of nature and the elements, as good weather helps him along and thunderstorms bring his work to a halt. La Libertad was screened at the 2001 Buenos Aires Independent Cinema Festival, as well as the same year's Cannes Film Festival, where it was shown in the Un Certain Regard series.~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide