Reygadas new film takes a very personal perspective on the preoccupations that have been haunting him in his earlier movies. If I try to put them in phrases: How can one live with the contradictions of life without destroying yourself and others? How are we close to others, the ones that are less privileged,our partners, our children? The answer given by this tenebrous movie is not encouraging considering the fate of the main character. In the first scene a little girl (Reygadas daughter) plays on a wet field where cows, horses and dogs are romping. In the background we can hear thunder and it is getting dark. It is a threatening atmosphere but also a very lively one. The child is full of joy but at the same time the atmosphere is somber. Maybe the author is saying: The life of my child starts in a mysterious and majestic nature. Where will it lead and what is my part in it? Many scenes do not fit in a sequence, but this gives a dreamlike undertone to the movie which is underlined by the distortion to the edge of the image which is annoying at the beginning but fits very well to the overall atmosphere. A devilish and unhurried image appears in the next scene and made me think: The devil is at work and it takes its time. As a child one observes impartially what happens in the adult world. The devil disappears into the chamber of the sleeping parents closing the door to the childish curiosity and getting to work on the sleeping couple with his toolbox. Juan the father and main character is worried about his surroundings and himself and he experiments approaching the inhabitants of the little town where he lives in a stately house. He attends the AA meetings where he also meets seven his handyman at home who will later rob his house and put an end to his life. Nature is impressive but full of violence. Trees are cut in retaliation for family feuds. Dogs that accompany our lives are at the same time violently mistreated. The relation to his wife Natalia is marked with contradiction, by tenderness, violence and distance. He tries to stimulate desire in both with strong erotic but personal words. She plays Neil Youngs "Its a dream" while he dies after saying a few poetic last words. Life is an intense dream for Reygadas and he shares his dreams with very impressive and poetic language.
Review of Post Tenebras Lux
