6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
An evocative portrait of a Mexican's struggles to live away from the mainstream. Deciding to leave the rat race behind, rich industrialist Juan along with his wife Natalia and two children, relocate to start anew in a seemingly rural idyll. But Juan soon finds that country life has its own problems as he struggles to cope with being an outsider in his new community, allied with the pressures that raising a young family exerts on his already strained marriage.
Starring: Nathalia Acevedo, Adolfo Jiménez CastroForeign | 100% |
Drama | 80% |
Other | 6% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.31:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
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.
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.
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" 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.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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