Post Tenebras Lux (2012)

Directed by: Carlos Reygadas
Country: Mexico / others

Review: Carlos Reygadas’ particular way of filmmaking always caused me mixed sensations; he really knows how to create bewildering experiences but at the same time, there are always some setbacks that make me move away from his complex visions. “Post Tenebras Lux”, which means ‘light after darkness’, is a semi-autobiographical film that was made purposely to baffle us, being presented as a sort of a bizarre dream. The film, shot with rigor, presents a peculiar effect that consists in blurring the screen around the edges to enhance the dreamlike idea. The story follows a Mexican middle-class family that decided to move to the countryside, but the isolation will bring negative consequences to their relationship. The only thing that we have sure is that the early visit of the devil (in an animated form) certainly represents a bad omen, but after that, the film starts an odyssey through the inexplicable by presenting us apparently unrelated situations that I often find myself asking what the hell Reygadas was trying to say. “Post Tenebras Lux” is as much intriguing and captivating, as it is despicable and frustrating. Pretentious or not in its disjointed structure, I cannot deny that I was immerse in the story till the end, but can only recommend it for those who don’t mind to have something to decode in practically every scene. It just aims to our senses without worrying with any particular message or logic.