Post Tenebras Lux (2012)

With Post Tenebras Lux, Reygadas seems to have worked very much from his feelings. Although there is certainly some narrative in the film, the coherence is something you have to look for yourself, or rather, feel. Very personal; it features some of his family and one of his houses.

It is very difficult what to say about this film. It divides the press enormously, and it will divide the public enormously. And I was so emotionally invested in it. An attempt to capture the essence for me, something that is quite clearly present in the film.

It begins with a magnificent opening scene that I will never forget and which, for me, is the start of one of the recurring themes, perhaps even the essence of the film. A girl walks in a muddy meadow and names what she sees there. For that child, what she sees is what is. She herself is also just ordinary. As people get older, "being ordinary" is no longer there. Because of everything you carry with you in life, the experiences you gain, your life becomes more complicated and complex, and you move further away from that "being ordinary." There is much more than that, and much more to discover in the film, but that is what ultimately touched me the most.

I want to see this so much more often. There is still so much more to discover, too. For now, I'll leave it at this.

5.0*

Translated from Dutch · View original

Completely blown away.

A film that has a lot to say without incorporating a real fixed storyline. But it works very well. The film has a beautiful, dreamy atmosphere, which is further enhanced by the unconventional camerawork. As has been mentioned here before, the edges are shot in soft focus and the center in focus. This creates a somewhat distorted image that manages to add just that little bit extra to the film. But if it had been shot conventionally, it would have been at least as impressive to me. The situations and scenes are all unique and each a small work of art on the screen. Everything is a small masterpiece wrapped in a very large masterpiece.

Great discovery and introduction to Carlos Reygadas

Translated from Dutch · View original

Plenty of food for thought. It is impressive how Reygadas and his team give me the impression throughout the entire film that I am watching a mirage, in which sudden transitions from wild din (the sea) to silence (the living room) aptly emphasize the film's associative nature. The most intriguing part? the Satanic figure with the toolbox.
Is it also insinuated that the child can see him? The biggest sore point: that the first time, precisely because of the fragmented approach, I struggled to get into the narrative. A shame, because the beautiful visuals lend themselves perfectly to a memorable film experience. That is happening now as well, but I think a rewatch would still be a plus. Perhaps the most important scene of the film was spoiled for me this time by an undoubtedly very lame fact: the singing was *really* off-key. If that bothers you, then you know you weren't sufficiently 'into' the characters and their emotions, although I was completely engrossed in earlier scenes. For now, a solid 3.5*.

Translated from Dutch · View original