DOK.fest München 2026: La Pietà (dirs. Rafa Molés & Pepe Andreu) | Review
La Pietà highlights the singular story of an Icelandic family who were among the first to witness the alarming melting of the glaciers.
Directed by Rafa Molés and Pepe Andreu, La Pietà celebrated its German premiere a few days ago at the Munich Documentary Film Festival (DOK.fest München). The film follows photographer Ragnar Axelsson as he returns to live for a few months at the foot of the Vatnajökull glacier in Iceland, where, in his youth, he spent several summers alongside the Björn family. In this isolated region, the Björn siblings spent much of their free time exploring the glacier, located near the family farm. They documented their observations in writing over the years, thus becoming among the first to witness the melting of the glacier within their own lifetime.
Throughout the film, the directors overlay past and present to pay tribute to the Björn siblings’ work and to emphasize the inexorable disappearance of the glacier. As he walks through the different rooms of the house, which has remained almost untouched, Ragnar Axelsson recalls in a voiceover his memories of the time spent with them. The camera lingers on artifacts, writings, and period photographs, as if we were flipping through a photo album through the photographer’s eyes. These indoor sequences are repeatedly followed by majestic aerial shots of the glacier, enhanced by a compelling sound design aimed at reproducing and amplifying the glacier’s cracking—barely perceptible to the human ear—into a long, painful groan of agony.
Ragnar Axelsson’s journey thus resonates like a final vigil before the glacier completely disappears under the effects of ongoing climate change. The two directors deliver a committed piece of work that helps make scientific research on melting glaciers accessible to the general public, while sounding the alarm on the rapidity of the phenomenon.
The 41st edition of DOK.fest München took place on May 6-18, 2026.
