The Barren Land

Fantasy, folklore, and feminism collide in this queer retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in the atmospheric Spanish Wild West.

A curse has befallen the desert land where women have lived communally for generations, with no men. Drought ravages the crops, while a horde of bloodthirsty creatures — half man, half beast — loom on the horizon. The houses of Salvatierra and Isla Perdida, two families divided over land and history, bitterly disagree over what action to take against this existential menace. As these clans threaten to tear each other apart in struggles over power and truth, forbidden romance blossoms between the young heiresses, Leonor and Isabel. But defying the law of the land comes at a price.

In her English debut, celebrated Spanish cartoonist Carla Berrocal crafts an ode to the American Western filtered through a contemporary queer lens. She imagines her all-women cast as gritty Charras, fierce as lovers and fighters. She captures the stark drama of the Western setting in a bold chiaroscuro style. The Barren Land is a Spanish vision of the Wild West, full of folklore, romance, and plenty of tense shootouts.