“Undertow”
(Contracorriente)
Peru- 2009
Writer-Director: Javier Fuentes-Leon
Starring: Cristian Mercado, Tatiana Astengo, Manolo Cardona
"Undertow" is easily one of the best films of it's genre that I've seen in many years. It is in it's essesence, a gay themed film that reminds one of "Ghost."
The story, set in a beautiful, but very conservative Peruvian coastal village centers around a married fisherman and leader in his local church, Miguel (Cristian Mercado). On the surface, Miguel and his wife are happily married, awaiting the birth of their first child, but Miguel has a secret... He has fallen in love with another man, an outsider, Santiago (Manolo Cardona), an artist who has moved there to paint, but has stayed for love of Miguel. Although their feelings are deep, mutual and passionate, Miguel insists on total secrecy, unable to come out to his wife, church or community.
Santiago, a free spirit and openly gay and unashamed chafes under the restrictions Miguel has imposed upon their relationship and love affair. Then as tensions rise and their love grows, the unthinkable happens, in an accident, Santiago drowns, but his love for Miguel does not allow his spirit to leave his lover. For a while, Miguel is happy with the situation, he is able to be with his heart's true desire, although no one else can see or hear Santiago.
But soon enough, the secret of Miguel's relationship with Santiago becomes known to everyone in his tightly knit, conversative community and with that revealation comes a realization that he must reconcile the truth of his heart and his love for Santiago with the reality of the life he stands to lose. Moreover, he longs to keep his lover by his side, albeit in the spirit while knowing that he must do what is right to release his own and Santiago's spirit from the prison that secrecy and fear has created.
Without giving away the entire plot of the film, I will say that in the end, there is a surprising moment of redemption and acceptance that suggests that perhaps the world has changed enough everywhere that someday there'll no closets, and no lies, and no reason to be anything but what you are.
Without reservations, "Undertow" gets a well deserved 5 out of 5 stars. An excellent film with fine performances, great production values and most of all, a warm, compelling, believable and redemptive human story about love.
*******
"Fear Eats the Soul"
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