Tales of Rabassada

Ruins, myths, and a lone Russian keeper of Catalan dreams

At the top of the mountain road that bears its name, the Catalan bourgeoisie began constructing the grand hotel and casino of La Rabassada from the late nineteenth century onwards. The complex became a celebrated escape from city life, offering visitors roller-coaster rides, a water slide by boat, a luxury restaurant, an orchestra, grandiose gardens, and all the grandeur of Belle Époque Barcelona. It was, for a time, a defining symbol of the city's economic ambition and cultural confidence.

Tales of Rabassada, directed by Ferran Romeu, examines what remains of that vanished world. Today, only ruins and general oblivion mark the site, and the sole human presence is Andrei, a globe-trotting Russian who has made his home among the crumbling concrete. Equal parts caretaker and guide, Andrei leads Romeu's hand-held camera through the decayed interiors, including an unprecedented exploration of a forgotten subterranean tunnel beneath the extinct hotel.

Through Andrei, Romeu contrasts the grandeur of the past with a decadent present that, much like Andrei's own personality, does not entirely lack humour or hope. Archival photographs and film footage from the early twentieth century alternate with present-day images, allowing the documentary to move fluidly between historical record and lived experience. The result is a portrait of memory, impermanence, and the myths that outlast the structures that gave rise to them.

The film had its international premiere at Visions du Réel in Nyon, Switzerland, where it won the Premiers Pas Youth Award for Best Documentary Short Film. It subsequently screened at DocsBarcelona, MakeDox Creative Documentary Film Festival, and Verlo Para Creerlo, among other events.