Post Tenebras Lux (Carlos Reygadas, 2012)

[knives]

Yes.

[rohming]

I was drawn in by that opening sequence. The way the storm and night comes on is just beautifully done, and I was dreading that the dogs were gonna start eating that little kid or something. That was very unsettling.

Then the animated devil shows up and I'm confused, but okay, trying to roll with it.

Then it jumps to the guy out in the woods with the huge chainsaw and at this point I'm just having a lot of trouble trying to find a way to anchor my viewing experience.

Like I said, I know I need to give it more of a shot, sounds like a semblance of meaning or at least emotional resonance will accumulate as the imagery does.

[criterion10]

Calling Post Tenebras Lux indescribable would be a bit of an understatement. Having started the film last night and finishing the final twenty minutes moments ago (I shamefully fell asleep), I really don't know how to best describe the film, or even form my opinion on it.

This is the first film that I have seen by Carlos Reygadas, so I can't comment on his other works. The ambition he presents here is certainly evident, though I can't help but feel let down.

The film completely forgoes traditional narrative, and while this isn't necessarily a bad thing, the main issue arises as a result of the film's lack of cohesion. Scenes blend together from one to the next, often open-ended and not clearly defined.

While the film predominantly focuses on a young family that has moved away to the countryside, digressions often involve scenes of a team of rugby players, a lengthy AA meeting, and other moments that simply do not gel together with what appears to be the main focus of the film.

One's enjoyment for this type of film is often dependent upon how well he connects with the onscreen images. While I was able to acknowledge the beauty in the film's look and mood, the sequences themselves left me distant and perplexed. Reygadas unfortunately lost me with whatever he was trying to say.

A large part of the film is photographed with an in-camera effect that distorts the image in a rather unique manner. That, combined with some beautiful cinematography, gives the film a real nightmarish tone that is arguably akin to experiencing a dream on celluloid.

While it is ultimately a disappointment, at least there is one great scene in the film: a surrealistic bathhouse orgy that rivals the very best of a director like David Lynch. Brilliant.

[Zot!]

You might prefer Reygadas other films, I think they're all more narratively traditional than this. Having seen enough Uncle Boomis and Sukorov, Post Tenebras Lux didn't seem to be particularly out-there or obscure to me. A couple of cultural-specific touchpoints, but otherwise some pondering on class and human nature and soforth. If the structure had been more linear, and the fantastic elements somehow deliniated more obviously, I don't think this would raise as many eyebrows. But it's probably the way it should be. I enjoyed it, after being really frustrated with what I felt was the cop-out Silent Light Dreyer redux.

[Matt]

Uncle Boomis and Sukorov

[Zot!]

Uncle Boomis and Sukorov

Uncle Boonmee, sorry. I won't bore you with what Boomi is, but we have a product at work called Boomi, hence my slip-up. For me, this film, and those of Sukorov are both in the ballpark of PTL.

[rohming]

I still haven't had a chance to finish this but I watched a good bit more and it cohered a lot better for me as soon as I started watching past the part I stopped at. The family core gives it some focus that you don't realize it even has until about twenty minutes in or whatever. The sex spa scene both made me want to shower and avoid showers completely and forever, if you know what I mean.

[RSTooley]

Carlos Reygadas’ Post Tenebras Lux is a truly one of a kind film. Yet, that shouldn’t factor into one’s judgment of whether or not the film is good.

The film, which runs a little under two hours long, drudges along (occasionally aimlessly) depicting a random assortment of scenes concerning a well-to-do family and their impoverished neighbors. Other segments disjointedly feature surrealist material, including a rugby match between English school children and the Devil exploring the nighttime halls of a suburban household.

Reygadas’ experimentation is somewhat refreshing, especially in an age of packaged and commercialized filmmaking, but the work still manages to fall flat due to its bizarre incoherence and pretension.

The film still has many positive aspects. As many people here have noted, the movie has fantastic cinematography with breathtaking images and popping colors. The visual aesthetics of the film is almost unparalleled by anything I have seen in the last year in a half. Yet, I couldn’t commit my interest to such a thin plot over the course of two hours, even with the symbolic imagery and references to literature.

I can’t recommend this film, but I wouldn’t discourage anyone from viewing the film either.