Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Post Tenebras Lux Blu-ray Movie Review

Invitation not included.

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 10, 2013

Interpretational filmmaking should be a great many things. We hope for mystery, symbolism, emotion, and art. To be in the hands of a helmer who takes this responsibility seriously results in dynamic, unforgettable cinema. “Post Tenebras Lux” is determined to stake its claim as a wonder of the subconscious, with writer/director Carlos Reygadas turning on the art-school afterburners to craft a vaguely defined ode to patriarchal concerns, class anxiety, and naturalistic splendor. It’s not a feature that welcomes a thorough dissection, since most, if not all the movie exists in Reygadas’s mind, where the images hold special meaning and the characters possess significant traits only one man is meant to understand. Undeniably beautiful but exhausting and intermittently intolerable, “Post Tenebras Lux” is one of those pictures that doesn’t seek approval and doesn’t particularly care if anyone is watching.

If there’s a plot to “Post Tenebras Lux,” and that’s up for debate, it would concern the marriage of Juan (Adolfo Jimenez) and Natalia (Nathalia Acevedo), parents to young children Rut (Rut Reygadas) and Eleazar (Eleazar Reygadas). Struggling to maintain intimacy for the duration of their union, the couple embraces their wealth, with their home a luxury abode in the wilds of Mexico, located near a plethora of natural wonders. Seven (Willebaldo Torres) is a handyman trying to make a living, fighting his demons with Juan, using a 12-step program to make sense of their addictions. Encountering memories, trips, and tragedies, the characters struggle to define themselves as routine has worn down emotional response, urging them on a philosophical and physical journey that holds devastating consequences.

“Post Tenebras Lux” opens with an extended scene of Eleazar stomping around a muddy farm field populated with cows and dogs. She’s talking to herself, working on her vocabulary, while taking in the enormity of the world around here. This goes on for quite awhile, observing the child fall in and out of her own mind, enjoying the behavioral chaos the animals are providing. Also introduced during this sequence is a camera filter that carries through most of the feature -- a prism effect that’s employed during exteriors, though its significance is never understood. However, fully understanding the layers of “Post Tenebras Lux” seems to be missing the point of the picture, which is most content distributing abstract ideas, leaving comprehension to post-screening conversation. For some, this type of approach is manna from heaven. For others, the viewing experience is akin to reading a book with every third page torn out. There’s certainly a shape to the work, but not necessarily a final destination.

Time is an issue in the film. Reygadas jumps back and forth throughout the years, using subtle cues and the age of the children to clue viewers in on the changes. It’s a common approach to aid the quest for disorientation, allowing the production to find a nonlinear way to track the married couple’s misery, even reaching back to their pre-kid years, where a visit to a European sex sauna results in a strange orgasmic purging of emotion for Natalia, possibly leaving her with a lasting ailment in connection with the excursion. It’s a strange scene, but also one of the more effective of the feature, finding Reygadas locking on oddity in a direct fashion, while the rest of the work merely lingers, mistaking pause for profundity.

Nature also plays a huge role in “Post Tenebras Lux,” with Reygadas setting aside substantial time to examine rainfall, wind, and the beauty of the land. While highly filtered, the images are superbly meditative, feeling like someone accidentally edited in footage from various IMAX productions. The eye candy is helpful, especially when characterization is haphazard at best, failing to create an emotional through line that inspires the type of teary, chest-flattening reactions Reygadas is hoping to inspire. Natalia, Juan, Seven? These are vague outlines of wounded people, with personalities barely tended to as the movie works its way from one ephemeral, Malickian encounter to the next. It’s strange to find material so dependent on human catharsis submit such hazy, icy motivation.

Post Tenebras Lux Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.31:1 aspect ratio) presentation is a curious visual event. As previously mentioned, there's a prism effect laid over much of the movie, leaving very little space in the frame for any type of HD fullness. What's here is serviceable, allowing for some detail to peek through on faces and locations, adding a fresh sense of exterior textures. The image seems brightened a touch, leaving blacks without much depth, even solidifying on occasion. Colors also lack richness, though primaries are adequate. The bold redness of the Devil is the only real element that carries significant visual attention. Banding is detected and the print is clean -- a few noticeably low-res shots appear inherent to the original cinematography.

Post Tenebras Lux Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 Dolby Digital sound mix appears exactly as intended, focusing on flavorful environmental moods and interior layers. Dialogue is nicely arranged, with mild directional movement and a concentration on group activity, using the front stage smartly as it conveys character position. Performances are crisp and direct, easily understood. Atmospherics are a big draw here, feeling out numerous visits into the great outdoors, with forest, beach, and farm particulars sounding immersive, with surrounds engaged to sell a wider listening experience. Low-end is sparingly used, but music adds some weight.

Post Tenebras Lux Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deleted Scenes (14:29, HD) fail to add anything of significance to the picture, but they do offer additional time with Seven, watching him interact with Juan, chat with an acquaintance on a bus, and shop for clothes with his pals at a local department store. Considering how vague the character is sketched out in the finished film, these tiny slivers of behavior help to understand how the man fits into the "Post Tenebras Lux" world.

• Video Diary (32:58, HD) attempts to play as non-confrontational as a picture, matching personal home movies with locations and scenes found in the film. Better is a look as the production in motion, with the professionals working out scenes, dealing with random behaviors from the young co-stars, and, at one point, working out the logistics of squirting fake dog urine. Watching scenes being constructed is always fascinating, and this featurette is at its best when focused on the creative process.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:39, HD) is included.

Post Tenebras Lux Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Post Tenebras Lux" doesn't carry the psychological weight necessary to expand on its soulful intentions, too distracted with abstract visions such as a red devil who appears twice during the effort, meandering through a house while carrying a tool box. There's also business with an English rugby team that juts out uncomfortably. Topics such as deforestation, addiction, and Neil Young are raised as well. Although I'm sure Reygadas isn't aiming for randomness, his thirst for interpretational qualities to "Post Tenebras Lux" limits his ability to connect with the viewer. In the end, the feature is stunning to watch, yet it's all so distant and excessively internalized. It's a picture one could walk away from for a period of time and the movie wouldn't notice.