THE CINEMA OF CARLOS REYGADAS TOLD THROUGH IMAGES & STILLS...
When cinema is true, it is a language in itself - that is why it is an art. I hate the idea that a good film is a good story, as Hollywood people say. That's not letting cinema be totally free - Carlos Reygadas
Carlos Reygadas is probably the most important voice in Latin American cinema today (along with Lucia Martel). His work shows a different side of Mexico that we don't usually see on the big screen (intellectualism, art, the upper-middle class, spirituality, etc). Reygadas is an intellectual filmmaker who doesn’t take his audience for granted and loves to challenge people. It takes guts to make the kinda films he makes and he embraces negative criticism & hate when other filmmakers can’t. Reygadas is clearly a varsity letter wearing upperclassman among his generation of "New School" directors like; Lynne Ramsay, Fatih Akin, Nicholas Winding Refn, Steve McQueen, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Even before Post Tenebras Lux (a masterpiece and probably the best movie from last year) Reygadas was already one of the future masters of film with Silent Light (Post Tenebras Lux just solidified his spot). It’s almost like he was born in the wrong era. Reygadas woulda been right at home in that late 50's-mid 70's era where filmmakers were put up on the same pedestal as authors, intellectuals and artists.
RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY
Thanks to decades of predictable storylines and Kirk Cameron, religion on film makes most people roll their eyes these days. The large majority of the time it’s either about some molestation case (Catholicism) or some agenda shoved down our throats (many people felt The Tree Of Life had a Christianity agenda behind it). Carlos Reygadas is part of a recent group of filmmakers who manages to get away with having religion all throughout his films without getting criticism for it (actually, the only problem people seem to have with his work is that its either boring or too "shocking"). In my opinion, his portrayal of religion on the big screen is more about spirituality. Whether subtle or (sometimes) in your face, religion is prevalent in almost all of Reygadas' work - From the loss of faith (in Japon we see our main character set out to commit suicide) to trying to find faith (In the final moments of Battle In Heaven we see our main character repent and give himself up to god). Silent Light is the most obvious example as it’s centered around Mennonites where religion is a part of their every day lives. And outside of the plot, his work also features lots of religious imagery & symbolism...
Japon
Battle In Heaven
Silent Light
Post Tenebras Lux
Men In Search Of...
Women do play a major role in all of his work but the main plot of each of his films (with the exception of his short; Serengeti) seems to be this exploration of man in the midst of some kind of internal/existential/mid-life crisis - the choice of whether or not to commit suicide (Japon), infidelity and the questioning of faith (Silent Light) or struggling with anger (Post Tenebras Lux). Reygadas' films offer an alternative representation of men beyond the mindless brooding and alpha-male-isms...
Japon
Battle In Heaven
Silent Light
Post Tenebras Lux
nudity & the human body...
We are all naked when we go to the shower. At least twice or three times a day we are naked. And most of us have sex, once a week or more. It's a thing that occurs often. But it's not represented ever on film. So the normal thing to do would be to ask every other director why they don't have sex in their film and not ask me about it. I am the only normal one - Carlos Reygadas
Lars Von Trier (The Idiots & Antichrist), Vincent Gallo (The Brown Bunny), Larry Clarke (Ken Park) and plenty of other recent filmmakers have shown full frontal nudity and real sex on the big screen but none of 'em have pulled it off quite like Carlos Reygadas. He shows the rawness & beauty of naked bodies (both male & female), blowjobs, penetration, pubic hair, ejaculation, stretch marks & wrinkles, beads of sweat and everything else in between. This may sound gross but you can almost smell the sex scenes in his films. He puts attractive bodies & traditionally non-attractive bodies on the same plateau (one of his most notorious scenes in Japon involves a sex scene with an old woman). Additionally, women aren’t objectified more than men when it comes to nudity and sex.
Japon
Battle In Heaven
Silent Light
Post Tenebras Lux
Landscapes...
Carlos Reygadas must have been a landscape architect in his former life. From the beautiful modern house in Post Tenebras Lux to all the beautiful landscape shots in everything he's ever done, his work is very architectural without obvious/typical shots of skyscrapers and urban cities...
Japon
Battle In Heaven
Silent Light
Silent Light
Post Tenebras Lux
Post Tenebras Lux
Sports...
Although it isn't a major part of his work, soccer & rugby (a sport Reygadas use to play before becoming a filmmaker) seems to play the background in the majority of his films to the point where it should be mentioned...
Battle In Heaven
Serenghetti
Post Tenebras Lux
Tarkovsky, Dryer, Bresson and other visual similarities & (possible) inspirations...
(L-R) Au Hazard Balthazard (Bresson) Andrei Rublev (Tarkovsky) This Is My Kingdom (Reygadas)
It’s been said numerous times here on PINNLAND EMPIRE from my "School Of Tarkovsky Series" to my reviews of Silent Light & Post Tenebras Lux that Reygadas draws inspiration from and tips his hat to the older generation of filmmakers. It was almost impossible to not see Tarkovsky's name dropped at least once in any review from the first half of his career (School Of Tarkovsky: Part One). But ever since Silent Light we've seen him branch out and pay homage to filmmakers like Carl T. Dryer (Ordet) & Chantal Ackerman (Jeanne Dielmann) to Terrence Malick (The Tree Of Life) & Apichatpong Weeresthakul (Uncle Boonmee). And like Robert Bresson, Reygadas also uses non-professional actors...
Ordet (Dreyer) Silent Light (Reygadas)
Solaris (Tarkovsky) Japon (Reygadas)
Nostalghia (Tarkovsky) Silent Light (Reygadas)
Jeanne Dielman (Ackerman) Silent Light (Reygadas)
Tree Of Life (Malick) / Post Tenebras Lux (Reygadas)
La Libertad (Lisandro Alonso) / Silent Light (Reygadas)
A Gentle Woman(Bresson) / Battle In Heaven (Reygadas)
Marketa Lazarova (Frantisek Vlacil / Japon (Reygadas)
Solaris (Tarkovsky) / Battle In Heaven (Reygadas)
SHADES OF MEXICO
It goes without saying that Reygadas has a lot of Mexican pride. Like I said in the intro - he really does show a side of his home country that many people aren't use to seeing on film (I honestly had no idea there were dutch/German Mennonites living in Mexico before I saw Silent Light) yet he still manages to throw in all sorts of important cultural imagery that kinda defines the Mexico of today (from Luchador masks to the Mexican flag). If you read enough interviews about him its clear that he came from an upper/middle class background yet he didn't turn his back on the more rural/poorer side of the country. Unlike his Mexican peers; Guilermo Del Torro, Alfanso Cuaron or Alejandro Inaritu, he has yet to cross over into Hollywood (which I doubt he has any interest in). Although he himself is an intellectual, it wasn't until his short film; This Is My Country (Revolucion) that he really put a spotlight on Mexican upper/middle class and Mexican intellectualism.