
North American Premiere
Lost in a sea of sex and drugs in 1970s New York, a musician falls from a 4th-floor window, breaking his spine. Inspired by the life and music of Robert Wyatt, and specifically the 1974 album of the same name that Wyatt recorded after his accident, this animated rock opera tells the fictionalized but parallel story of Bob and Alif, lovers caught up in a self-destructive cycle of addiction on a drug-fueled but musically creative vacation in Majorca. After his life-changing fall and rehab, Bob reinvents himself as a singer-songwriter (just as Wyatt did).
Spanish filmmaker Trénor’s painstakingly detailed rotoscope animation serves as a springboard into a trippy, kaleidoscopic freak-out that mirrors the undulating rhythm of Wyatt’s six-song cycle. The gloomy, ambient synth and Wyatt’s high-pitched, sorrowful voice highlight the minimalist, jazzy, prog-rock album, underscored by the visuals that morph and mutate alongside the music. Rock Bottom is a hypnotic, psychedelic musical odyssey about redemption through art and love which should also give a new lease of life to a lesser-known masterpiece.
Supported by
Media Partner
Community Partner
Fermí Herrero, Laura Casaña
Spain/Poland
2024
English
At VIFF Centre
At Fifth Avenue
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Alba Sotorra Clua, Miguel Molina, Robert Jaszczurowski, Aliaga Adán, Joaquín Ojeda de Haro, Dani Bagur
Screenwriter
María Trénor
ANIM
María Trénor, Marta Gil Soriano
Editor
Joaquín Ojeda de Haro
Original Music
Robert Wyatt Elidge
Art Director
María Trénor

María Trénor
With a degree in fine arts from the Faculty of Sant Carles of the UPV (Valencia), María Trenor has directed and produced several animated short films, including ¿Con qué la lavaré? (2003), which won the 1st Teddy Bear Award at Berlinale and the 1st Prize at ANIMADRID. Her 2009 short film Ex-Libris earned multiple awards and a Goya nomination. Her latest, ¿Dónde estabas tú? (2020), received the WIA Diversity Award. María teaches Audiovisual Media at the School of Art and Design of Valencia and has been involved in various conferences, publications, and animation festivals.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
That They May Face the Rising Sun
John and Kate have moved from London to a farm in Ireland, to the bemusement of the locals. This lyrical Irish reverie taps deep wells of feeling in the stuff of everyday life.
Secret Mall Apartment
The stranger-than-fiction true story of a group of artists who built and furnished a hidden apartment inside a mall, remaining undetected for years. This is an absurdly fun and surprisingly profound film about gentrification and art.
The Encampments
When pro-Palestine protests took hold of Columbia last year, the filmmakers were there from the beginning. This documentary charts the mounting tensions between students and the administration, as the protests were picked up across North America.
The Teacher
In this potent thriller, English teacher Basem witnesses the murder of a teenager by a Israeli settler. While the subsequent investigation rolls slowly towards a foregone conclusion, the teacher is caught up in a parallel kidnapping case...
Bob Trevino Likes It
When her toxic, narcissistic dad cuts her out of his life, Lily Trevino looks him up on Facebook and happens across his namesake, Bob (John Leguizamo), a gentle, genial contractor who lives nearby, and who proves an altogether better dad...
A Duke Ellington Tribute with the Mike Braverman Sextet
After a scintillating session of Duke standards performed by The Mike Braverman Sextet, enjoy a roundup of Ellingtonia on Film: his first short sound films from the late 20s and 30s, and clips from the scores he composed in the 50s and 60s.