Film Reviews

Undertow

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• Details: Peru / 100mins (TBC).

A delicate love story that attempts to get to the heart of the softer side of masculinity, repressed sexuality, and what it means to love, Undertow steers a steady ship between the sweet and the supernatural.
Miguel (Mercado) seems to have it all: despite being a fisherman in a poor and remote Peruvian village, he and his pregnant wife couldn't be happier. His friend says he is "on good terms with God." But Miguel has a secret - he is carrying on a clandestine affair with Santiago (Cardona), a painter the villagers treat with suspicion. When Santiago drowns (an event that mysteriously happens off screen) he haunts Miguel, who is the only person who can hear or see him. Santiago begs Miguel to find his body so he can be at peace but Miguel, now able to hold hands with Santiago in public without anyone noticing, isn't ready to give up Santiago just yet...
A touching love story, Undertow has won numerous awards worldwide (including the Audience Award at Sundance) and it's not hard to see why. With its picturesque setting - director Fuentes-León can't resist including shots of brightly-painted houses, deep green seas garnished with white sailboats and, during the more turbulent episodes of the story, windswept beaches - the film is a joy to watch. But Fuentes-León isn't afraid to show the ugly side of the area too.
Beneath its beautiful veneer lies a deeply prejudiced community – even before he's outed as a homosexual, Santiago is ignored by the villagers because of his profession. Religion claws deep too: although the director never hammers home the crushing conservatism of the Catholics that inhabit the hamlet, it's never far away either - crucifixes adorn the house walls, the priest is ever-present at parties, and Miguel denies his relationship with Santiago three times, which mirrors St. Peter's denials of Jesus.
Although contending with dependable turns from Cardona and Astengo (playing Miguel's unsuspecting wife), Mercado has the toughest job in Undertow - he has to navigate two different lives and make each one as tender and as plausible as the other. He pulls off both with ease. Don't go thinking Ghost (you won't find The Righteous Brothers on the soundtrack) - Fuentes-León manages to keep his story believable despite the bizarre and otherworldly happenings.

Review by Gavin Burke