Stunning black and white cinematography, and a documentary that truly transported me into the rugged lives of the Venezuelan laborers on the Araya peninsula, who mined the sea for salt for 450 years in much the same way we see here. The work is under scorching conditions and frankly pretty brutal, but every family member has their task and diligently performs it, day in and day out. The film takes a 'poetic realism' approach to the depiction, which has the benefit of the narrator taking the larger view of it all and imbuing it with a wonderful sense of grace. It has the disadvantage that questions we might ask are left out, such as where these people get their clothes or corn, and perhaps more importantly, what they themselves feel about their lives, what their hopes and dreams are, and what their views are of the modernization we see looming in the final few minutes (but unfortunately not expanded on). In short, it would have been nice to hear them speak. Despite that, it's a real work of art, unique and with images that will stay with me. It's a damn shame that director Margot Benacerraf did not make more films, because she really knocked it out of the park with this one.