Undertow
Capturing the hidden beauty of the sweeping Peruvian coastline with stunning photography, this haunting, bittersweet tale of a unique love-triangle set within a small fishing village, examines the quest to define contemporary sexual identity, confronted by dogma and tradition and the forces of courage, honor and truth that compel us to challenge them.--©Official Site
3.5 out of 5 based on 11 reviews
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Omniscore:
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| Certificate |
|
| Genre |
Foreign, Drama |
| Director |
Javier Fuentes-León |
| Cast |
Manolo Cardona, Cristian Mercado Tatiana Astengo |
| Studio |
Axiom Films |
| Release Date |
August 2010 |
| Running Time |
100 mins |
| |
Capturing the hidden beauty of the sweeping Peruvian coastline with stunning photography, this haunting, bittersweet tale of a unique love-triangle set within a small fishing village, examines the quest to define contemporary sexual identity, confronted by dogma and tradition and the forces of courage, honor and truth that compel us to challenge them.--©Official Site
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Reviews
Empire Magazine
Ian Freer
“...low-key, tasteful and quietly compelling...”
08/08/2010
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The Evening Standard
DerekMalcolm
“...an unusual, nuanced and daring film...”
06/08/2010
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The Observer
Philip French
“It's a touching, warm-hearted fable about honesty and tolerance with an authentic lyrical quality.”
08/08/2010
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Time Out
Paul Burston
“But for all its knowing asides and playful twists on the traditional love triangle, this is no romantic comedy. In the end, ‘Undertow’ achieves a kind of lyricism rarely seen in contemporary gay filmmaking. It’s a film about modern sexual identity, but also about traditional values like honour, truth and the need for courage. It’s an impressive debut...”
04/11/2010
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Variety
Dennis Harvey
“Neither sexually explicit nor showily lyrical, "Undertow" nonetheless has a sensuous, romantic feel that balances same-sex love with an equally empathetic view toward the adoring, then bewildered, then enraged wife. Skirting the old-school homosexual tragedy ending one halfway expects, Fuentes-Leon instead closes on a moving, bittersweet note.”
31/01/2010
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The Independent on Sunday
Nicholas Barber
“It's a tender, unforced, well constructed and attractively shot fable about what it means to be a man.”
08/08/2010
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The Sunday Times
Edward Porter
“After Santiago drowns in an accident, he appears to Miguel as a ghost, invisible to everybody else, and the couple can spend time together more freely than they ever could while Santiago was alive. These scenes are the film’s best, enriched not only by their poignant supernaturalism, but by good performances and sunburnt scenery.”
08/08/2010
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The Daily Telegraph
Tim Robey
“There’s an interest in the sanctity of burial customs and being true to yourself, but the clumsier moments seem to suggest that you’re better off with an imaginary, dead boyfriend than a real live one.”
05/08/2010
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The Financial Times
Nigel Andrews
“The colours are splodgy, the script is sub-soap-opera, the actors hang their heads while delivering the dialogue. Yet astonishingly it works. The wallflower primitivism is lovable because it says, “This is an art movie that won’t join the noisy party.””
04/08/2010
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The Guardian
Steve Rose
“Brokeback Mountain meets Ghost gets you halfway there, but this is a measured, delicate film, set in a vividly evoked landscape. The conclusion might be too lachrymose and melodramatic for most tastes, but if you only see one gay Peruvian fisherman ghost story this year …”
05/08/2010
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The Independent
Anthony Quinn
“Fuentes-Leó has another reversal in store, however, and his sensitive investigation of marriage, masculinity and devotion becomes cumulatively very moving. It's also handsomely shot by Mauricio Vidal.”
06/08/2010
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