Post Tenebras Lux (English Subtitled)

A Surreal Mexican Puzzler: An Exploration Of The Darkness Inherent In Us All
The Mexican art house endeavor "Post Tenebras Lux" is a film that is likely to polarize viewers. While some will instantly proclaim it an avant garde masterpiece, others will be perplexed by its rather cryptic nature. Filled with stagnant shots, non-linear story telling, and even an odd demon or two, you will be clued in very early on whether this movie will appeal to your sensibilities. Evoking the strangeness of David Lynch and the dreaminess of Terrence Malick, I'm still not sure what I was supposed to get out of Carlos Reygadas' puzzler. While he certainly seems to be speaking to the darkness inherent in us all, I don't seem to be bright enough to take away some profound notion or meaning about the way he views the world. The Cannes Jury, however, had no such qualms awarding Reygadas with the Best Director prize at the 2012 ceremony. Combining surreal moments with moments that were almost too real in their mundane observances, the film twists all over itself. And though I...

"It's only a dream, fading away...
...just a memory without anywhere to stay." This refrain from a song by Neil Young (and the only song in the film) just about sums up Post Tenebras Lux. Time goes backwards, forwards, through dreams and memories and fantasies, with little anchor. The film opens with Rut, the toddler-sister, in a kind of Eden which offers the lush visuals you expect from Reygadas. Later, in an absolutely transformative scene, Natalia, the mother, goes from being the object of ritual sex to the bearer of birth pains in so short a time and with no definable cut that one feels entertained by a magician. Juan, the father, and Eleazar, the son, get jumbled up as generations roll on making it impossible to place a protagonist. The Devil is a wild card I dare not touch. But, the Wealthy and the Poor, all these players, their obsessions and addictions, for what they are worth, all pale and quickly fade beside the exquisite beauty and simple power of nature. Juan's last speech seems to be the only human...

An astonishing film - that washes through you like a dream (or perhaps a nightmare - but it is unsettlingly lovely)
One way to travel through a foreign country is to hire a tour guide. Sit in a bus and look on as the sights pass you by; occasionally disembark and follow someone around who explains what you're seeing, and then, in a few "safe" places wander around freely to shop. When you're done you've seen something, but remain yourself, essentially untouched and unchanged. Another way is to throw yourself in, hope to find your way, maybe get lost, or get drunk in a local dive and wake up not knowing where you've been.

Most films compare to the first approach to tourism. You get to look on, concerned, from a safe distance, as lives unfold on the window in front of you. You walk out, throw away the popcorn box, and you're done with it. Just a pleasant memory, or a vague sense of dissatisfaction, or an eagerness to take the ride again. Post Tenebras Lux (latin for "after darkness, light") is more like the other approach. If you try and make sense of it all together as it unfolds, it won't...

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