Carlos Reygadas Movies
- 2012
An urban family living in rural Mexico finds those two realities colliding to surprising results in this drama from writer/director Carlos Reygadas (Silent Light, Revolución). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Ten Mexican filmmakers consider their nation on the centennial of the revolution in this anthology feature. For Revolucion, ten directors were asked to each contribute a ten minute film that in some way dealt with Mexico, its people, its national character and the legacy of the revolution. Actor Gael García Bernal directed Lucio, in which a young boy who is practicing the flag salute for school is confronted by his irreverent brother and must consider his views on patriotism and faith. Mariana Chenillo's La Tienda de Raya (aka The Estate Store) concerns a woman working for a discount store that pays her in company script rather than cash, making it even harder to climb out of poverty. Fernando Eimbcke directed La Bienvenida (aka The Welcome), in which a small town musician patiently waits for his opportunity to perform for a visiting dignitary. Two children come to the rescue of a priest tied to a tree in El Cura Nicolas Colgado (aka The Hanging Priest), a surreal episode by Amat Escalante. Rodrigo García's La 7th y Alvarado (aka At 7th and Alvarado) is an impressionistic piece in which the revolutionaries who fought for freedom and justice in Mexico pay a visit to modern day Los Angeles. Diego Luna's Pacifico tells the story of a man who takes some time off from his family only to discover how much they mean to him. A man trying to get medical help for his injured friend is forced to take desperate action in Gerardo Naranjo's R-100. Rodrigo Plá's 30/30 follows an elderly relative of Pancho Villa who is invited to a public celebration of the revolution but doesn't get the reception he expects. Este Es Mi Reino (aka This Is My Kingdom) by Carlos Reygadas observes a curiously aggressive holiday celebration in which natives and American visitors go on a tear while the community's poor look on. And in Lindo y Querido (aka Beautiful and Beloved) from Patricia Riggen, a family of Mexican expatriates living in America head home to honor an elder's final request. Revolucion received its world premiere at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Two undocumented Mexican day laborers on an endless quest to make a little cash go about their regular routine of waiting for work outside the local home improvement store, and get in deep over their heads after accepting an unusually high-paying job. Most of the jobs that Jesus and Fausto perform involve power tools or a hammer and nails, but today things are different. Jesus is carrying a shotgun in his backpack, and chances are good that he'll use it before the day is done. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kenny Johnston, Jesus Moises Rodriguez, (more)
A man of faith succumbs to a temptation he cannot resist in this drama written and directed by Carlos Reygadas. Johan (Cornelio Wall Fehr) and Esther (Miriam Toews) have been married for years, and live with their children in a Mennonite community Mexico. While Johan and Esther are both taciturn by nature, a moral dilemma is tearing Johan apart -- he's been having an affair with another woman in their circle, Marianne (Maria Pankratz), and feels he may be falling in love with her. While the tenants of his faith strictly forbid adultery, his need to be with Marianne seems stronger than the dictates of his moral compass, and while he's confessed his sins to Esther and his close friend Zacarias (Jacobo Klassen), subjecting himself to the shame of truth hasn't buffered his desires. Even worse, after Johan confesses to his father about his lust for Marianne, he's told that he may have fallen under the sway of Satan. Luz Silenciosa (aka Silent Light) received its world premiere at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cornelio Wall, Miriam Toews, (more)
In Battle in Heaven (AKA Batalla en el Cielo), director Carlos Reygadas' searing look at the inherent hypocrisies of Mexico's social structure, Marcos Hernandez is Marcos, an overweight, poverty-stricken chauffeur who longs for a better life for his wife and young son. Desperate, the couple kidnaps an infant child for ransom. When the baby dies in their custody, this simple crime that Marcos hoped would brighten his family's future instead adds a crushing burden to his conscience and will bring dire consequences for Marcos and his wife if discovered. Meanwhile, Ana, an affluent general's daughter whom Marcos chauffeurs from place to place, secretly battles ennui by prostituting herself in a local brothel with her friends. The two confide their darkest secrets in one another, and as Marcos urges Ana to drop out of whoring, Ana tries to convince Marcos to turn himself in. Marcos, however, will not listen, insisting that true forgiveness and redemption must come from above. Batalla en el Cielo marked the second major international release for director Reygadas, after the acclaimed Japon (2002). ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marco Hernandez, Anapola Mushkadiz, (more)
A man on the brink of suicide regains the will to live under decidedly unusual circumstances in this drama from Mexico. A quietly despondent man (Alejandro Ferretis) leaves behind the city for a journey into a quiet village in the valley, telling anyone who cares to know that once he's settled in, he intends to kill himself. The man takes a room with Ascen (Magdalena Flores), and elderly woman who lost her husband some years ago. Keeping to himself, the man paints, thinks, and prepares himself for death, while Ascen slowly becomes aware of the depth of his depression. As Ascen's nephew attempts to rob her of her share of the family estate, the man feels a desire to live waking inside him again -- as well as the desire for a woman. Improbably, the man turns to Ascen for physical affection, and sensing his need for comfort, she complies, though the seduction lacks a great deal in the way of romance. The first feature film from writer and director Carlos Reygadas, Japon received an enthusiastic response when it was screened as part of the Directors' Fortnight series at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alejandro Ferretis Elizondo, Magdalena Flores, (more)
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