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Movie Review
Undertow (Spanish: Contracorriente) is a 2009 Peruvian-Colombian drama film directed by Javier Fuentes-León and marks his directorial long-feature debut. Initial financing came from Germany and France with additional financing by Peru.[1] The film shot in Cabo Blanco, Peru, won the World Cinema Audience Award in the Dramatic category at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S.A.[2] Other Audience Awards included Cartagena, Montreal, Miami, Chicago, Utrecht, Lima, and Galway, as well as Jury Awards in Madrid, San Francisco, Seattle, Toulouse, and Philadelphia. It received a nomination as Best Latin American Film at the 2011 Goya Awards in Spain.
The Plot: Miguel (Cristian Mercado) is a young
fisherman of Cabo Blanco, a small village in northern
Peru with specific traditions regarding death. He is
married to Mariela (Tatiana Astengo), who is pregnant
with their first son, but he also has a secret affair with a
male painter called Santiago (Manolo Cardona).
Santiago accidentally drowns at sea, and his ghost returns to ask Miguel to find his body, in order to bury it with their village's rituals. Miguel eventually finds Santiago's body in the water, but does not tell his ghost of the discovery. Meanwhile, the villagers discover nude paintings of Miguel at Santiago's house, fueling a rumour that he was having an affair. Mariela hears the rumours, confronts Miguel about them, and upon hearing him confess, she goes to her mother's house with their newborn child. There is more!!!
88% out of 32 critics gave the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.3/10.[6] Manhola Dargis from the New York Times praised the director's ability to show powerful relationships between the characters, particularly focusing on the complexity of Miguel’s feelings for Mariela, which she called "gratifying". David Wiegang from the San Francisco Chronicle also gave the film a positive review, saying that the "film's accomplishments are many, but not the least is its ability to take a human story and frame it as a parable, without losing a bit of credibility or irresistible heart."
Pam Grady from Boxoffice Magazine wrote “Sensual and romantic with a heavy dose of the supernatural and populated by indelible characters.”[9] Bob Mondello from NPR wrote “Undertow, for all its narrative tricks, has been given the rhythm and texture of real life, as well as emotional undercurrents that are haunting.”