The Bastards Fig Tree

Rogelio, a powerful fascist soldier in the Spanish Civil War, ruthlessly hunts down and eliminates Spaniards who dare to go against the new regime. One night, when capturing a man for execution, he locks eyes with the man’s ten-year-old son and is overcome with terror and guilt. He becomes convinced this boy will track him down and kill him once he reaches the age of sixteen. This moment breaks Rogelio’s resolve. Convinced that he must make amends for his crimes, he moves to a small shack in the countryside near his father’s gravesite, and becomes a hermit and devout Falangist — a “Soldier of God” in his own words. A fig tree blossoms on his father’s grave, the success and growth of which soon absorb his focus. Each time he feels his guilt returning, he channels more attention into the tree, losing a piece of his former self with every new branch that grows. At first, his friends and family try to convince him to return to his old life, but soon this Soldier of God becomes a figure of worship in his own right. (Fantastic Fest)