The Film
A winner of the prestigious Audience Award at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, Undertow (Contracorrientes) is a remarkable little film for a number of reasons. The gay drama is both a love story and a ghost story; but don't rush ahead thinking that it is a rehash of Ghost, because it is nothing like the Hollywood blockbuster. Set in a poor fishing village on the Peruvian coastline, the film tackles the issue of being faithful to oneself, tradition, and what is considered acceptable by the society that we live in.
The story focuses on a young couple who are about to have their first child. Their love for one another appears genuine, but lurking in the undertow of the waves that crash close to their home is an ugly secret. Miguel (Cristian Mercado, Che: Part Two), the manly fisherman/husband, is madly in love with another man. Santiago (Manolo Cardona) is the partner, a local painter whose homosexuality is the subject of much disapproval in the village. Miguel's wife, Mariela (Tatiana Astengo), is about to give birth and she's oblivious to her husband's affair. When Santiago dies in a tragic drowning accident, Miguel thinks that he is free and clear, but when his dead lover's ghost appears he realizes that he must make some honest decisions about his life.
The film is ultimately about being true to oneself and it would be discouraging if the gay angle turned viewers off. It is a wonderfully shot and crafted film and its critical success should have surprised no one.
The Picture
The Sound
Not to pick on Wolfe Video, but why did they put Dolby Digital on the box, when the audio mix is DTS-HD Master Audio? There are two Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio mixes on the Blu-ray transfer (5.1 and 2.0) and I think they should speak to their graphic design people. The movie doesn't utilize the surround channels that often, but the film's score is quite good and it gives the film some much needed foundation. Your subwoofer can take the night off because the center channel does about 90 percent of the lifting. The dialogue-heavy film sounds reasonably clear, and the volume levels are consistent throughout. The 5.1 mix works better if you want to really enjoy the music, but the 2.0 mix isn't that far off the mark.
The Extras
Wolfe Video has put a lot of meaningful bonus content on this release, but the picture quality is abysmal. One could easily shoot better quality video on their cell phone. That nitpick aside, the interview with writer/director Javier Fuentes-León is quite refreshing to watch; his English is quite good and he explains the story without getting stuck talking about himself.
The interviews with Cristian Mercado and Tatiana Astengo are in Spanish (English subtitles), and they both equally display a genuine passion for the story and the process of making the film. It's not overly exciting, but it isn't phony either. Neither actor is sucking up to the camera.
The featurette about the making of the film has this 1970s Porn-look about it, but it gets a really central point across; you don't need $50 million to make a good movie. Anyone in Hollywood listening? Didn't think so. Move along.
Final Thoughts
Undertow is a remarkably fresh film that deals with some of mankind's oldest issues and is certainly not your typical romantic drama from Hollywood which tend to be rife with meaningless cliches. The cinematography is absolutely first-rate so it is a tad disappointing that the Blu-ray has above average sonics, but only sub-par picture quality. Javier Fuentes-León is certainly a director to watch out for in the future. Recommended.
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