If you combined the provocative tenacity of Ulrich Seidl with the non-narrative structure and beautiful cinematography of Terrence Malick then you would get somewhere close to Carlos Reygadas’ baffling Post Tenebras Lux. There is a narrative found within the film but not only is it very limited, it is found within a storyline that bounces back and forth through time with very little dialog or sense of direction—the extreme opposite end of holding a viewer’s hand. During an interview Reyadas admitted that he demands a lot from the viewer in terms of figuring out what Post Tenebras Lux is all about, so consider this the first of several warnings.

The opening shot of Post Tenebras Lux is hands-down the best the film has to offer. A young girl (Rut Reygadas) stomps her way through muddy puddles gawking at the cows, horses, and dogs that surround her while she mutters “father” and “mother”. The camera switches back and forth between up-close shots of her chasing the camera to a first-person perspective view at her level. As night falls a thunderstorm rolls in and soon the lightning is the only thing that illuminates the screen. That is until a glowing red figure appears at the front-door step of a house. The devilish figure moves through each room of the house with a toolbox in hand until it settles on a room after starring down a little boy across the hall. Does it represent a guilty feeling father returning home from work or a child’s nightmare of their evil father? As with the rest of the film, the definitive meaning behind this is open for interpretation.

Most of the film is based around a family of four who live in a luxurious house in a remote area of Mexico. The relationship between Juan (Adolfo Jimenez Castro) and his wife Natalia (Nathalia Acevedo) is not a pleasant at the moment because of Juan’s dangerous temperamental behavior—on display in a hard to watch scene where he randomly punches one of his family dogs. Juan believes Natalia wants to break things off but promptly reminds his wife that they should stay together for the kids.

What stands out the most in Post Tenebras Lux are the magnificent visuals thanks to Alexis Zabe’s awe-inspiring cinematography. The most fascinating part of the visuals was the decision to use a fisheye lens that blurs and distorts everything around the edges, almost as if it was replicating an actual eye with peripheral vision. Sometimes we see from the perspective of the characters, and sometimes from the perspective of evil. Several images throughout the film will stick with you for a while, though dog beating, decapitation, and a sex orgy with a bunch of overweight sweat lodgers are not exactly pleasant memories.

Post Tenebras Lux feels like a personal film for Carlos Reygadas, maybe a little too personal as it ends up alienating viewers with its obscurity. For example, there are two separate scenes where we suddenly land in the middle of group of English boys playing rugby for reasons you have to presume are autobiographical for the director. This becomes especially apparent when you realize that the two young children are played by his own. It is not to say the film does not have a specific meaning or purpose, just do not expect to know what it is after the first watch. Even though most of the film ends up being a head-scratcher, there are still certain characteristics that can be appreciated.

Post Tenebras Lux trailer:

For day 8 I delved right into TIFF’s Wavelengths programme which has been expanded this year. The programme used to cover avant-garde film only but now feature films that straddle the line between conventional and experimental are included as well.

My first film, Post Tenebras Lux, might be familiar to some as one of my most anticipated titles at Cannes from earlier this year. I still approached Carlos Reygadas‘ newest film with some hesitation since the guy is anything but predictable, and sure enough Lux is one strange film. There’s a story (involving a family living in Mexico’s countryside and a contractor working at the family’s home) but there’s no narrative whatsoever. At the drop of a hat Reygadas will suddenly flash forward to a family reunion, go back in time to a couple’s vacation at a disgusting bath house, or just focus on different characters entirely. Characters who appear in flash forwards will die in the present story, and plenty of fantastical elements come into play. Reygadas has explained exactly how personal Lux is for him; the house they shot as was his own, the children in the film are his own and a lot of scenes are directly lifted from personal experiences. It would be best to take in the film as a mood piece, but Reygadas rarely hits the emotional highs he’s shooting for. Running nearly 2 hours long, Post Tenebras Lux eventually feels like Reygadas is just farting around. Alexis Zabe’s cinematography is drop dead gorgeous (he’s definitely one of the best cinematographers working today), but as a whole Lux rarely impresses. I still can’t deny that parts of the film resonated with me, and down the road I might come to appreciate it more, but right now I feel mostly indifferent to what I saw.

RATING: 6/10 but a question mark would be more appropriate

Post Tenebras Lux

Next up was When Night Falls, a Chinese film that’s well-known for the story surrounding it. In a lengthy opening using narration and various images from the true events that inspired the film, Wang Jingmei (Nai An) explains what happened to her son Yang Jia. Years ago Jia was taken in by police after they suspected he stole a bicycle, was brutally beaten after not co-operating and endured constant harassment when he tried to report the officers. According to the Chinese authorities, Jia had enough and murdered six officers in a brutal attack on his town’s police station. It may sound like an open and shut case, but the government acted in a way that cast doubt on what really happened. CCTV footage of the attack vanished, and Wang Jingmei was illegally detained in a mental hospital for 143 days so she couldn’t have a presence at her son’s trial. 

When Night Falls picks up immediately after Jingmei is released from her imprisonment. With only days left before her son is executed, she frantically tries to submit evidence in her son’s favour to try and hold off his death. Of course Wang Jingmei’s battle is a losing one before she even decided to fight, and we see how the deck has been stacked against her as she faces more and more obstacles. Subject matter aside, When Night Falls is a tough film to watch. Director Ying Liang sticks to long, well-composed shots that go on for several minutes at a time. While other directors have worked well with a minimalist style, When Night Falls feels like a slog to get through at times despite its 70 minute length. At the same time I can’t deny that the film’s existence is essential with how it brings this tragic story into the spotlight. With news of the Chinese authorities threatening to arrest Liang if he steps foot in China again while trying to buy the film off of him in order to bury it, When Night Falls has probably gotten more coverage than it would have if it was left alone. I just wish that it could have been as interesting to watch as the story surrounding it.

RATING: 6.5/10

When Night Falls

NEXT UP: I’ll make my way back to TIFF on the final day to check out Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 5 hour miniseries Penance. Wish me luck!

Recap of some of my Tweets from today:

Follow @WayTooIndie for full coverage of the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival!

POST TENEBRAS LUX: Uh… #TIFF12

— Way Too Indie (@WayTooIndie) September 13, 2012

WHEN NIGHT FALLS: An essential film,but one that isn’t an easy watch.#TIFF12

— Way Too Indie (@WayTooIndie) September 13, 2012

The jury announced the winners at the Lumiere Theater Sunday night for the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Michael Haneke’s Amour was awarded the top prize of the Palme d’Or as many thought would happen for the Cannes veteran director. Some of the other awards seemed to be less obvious, Best Director went to Carlos Reygadas for Post Tenebras Lux and Reality won Grand Prix. Behn Zeitlin was awarded Camera d’Or for his first feature film Beasts of the Southern Wild.

See the full list of nominations.

The entire list of 2012 Cannes Film Festival Award Winners:

Amour, (director Michael Haneke)

Reality, (director Matteo Garrone)

Carlos Reygadas, Post Tenebras Lux

Cristian Mungiu, Beyond The Hills

Beasts Of The Southern Wild, (director Benh Zeitlin)

The Angels’ Share, (director Ken Loach)

Cosmina Straten, Beyond The Hills
Cristina Flutur, Beyond The Hills

Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt