You think Leonardo DiCaprio had problems with the ghost of his ex-wife in “Inception,” always turning up in everybody’s dreams? (At least I think that’s what was happening — hard to know all the fine points of “Inception,” after all.)
The situation in “Undertow” is even thornier. Having a secret lover in this movie gets very complicated, in life and in death.
The central figure — and a boldly unsympathetic one at times — is Miguel (Cristian Mercado), a man who lives in a small fishing village in an idyllic corner of the coast of Peru.
As we see in the opening sequence, Miguel’s wife is expecting a child, and he’s thrilled about it. He genuinely loves his wife, and he can’t wait to be a father.
He also happens to love Santiago (Manolo Cardona), an artist who lives and paints in a shack by the beach. The fierce machismo of the men in the village wouldn’t allow Miguel to be open about his affair with a man, and, of course, there’s also the fact of his marriage.
And now, a spoiler alert. Things are both simplified and complicated when Santiago drowns — ah, but in the way of countless ghost stories, he returns as a spirit who can be seen only by the bewildered Miguel.
In director Javier Fuentes-Leon’s amusing structure, we may notice that life with the ghost is not so different from life with the living Santiago: In both cases, the truth can’t be seen. For Miguel, things seem to be working out rather well, in fact; he and the ghostly Santiago can finally walk around in public together, without fear of reprisal.
Fuentes-Leon does a delicate thing with this material. He doesn’t make it into a cheap comedy, but he keeps a sense of humor going through even the most serious situations.
He’s also not an idiot; he stages as many scenes as possible by the beautiful beachside of this small town. The feeling of a place where life has slowed to a pleasing amble is powerful, although the gossip and prejudices of the local folk remind us that Eden isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.
“Undertow” was Peru’s official submission for the foreign- language Oscar — it didn’t make the semifinal list — and it won the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival last year.
Although it has a challenge in the character of Miguel (the guy is so exasperating in his mood swings and appetites, he seems more of a fictional conceit than a rounded person), it’s a civilized film in a close-to-primitive setting.
“Undertow,” three stars
A man in a fishing village juggles his lovers: a pregnant wife and their place in the community on the one hand, and a male artist on the other. When the artist drowns and shows up again as a ghost, the situation is played not for comedy but for a kind of bittersweet mood, which turns out to be an apt choice for Peruvian director Javier Fuentes-Leon. In Spanish, with English subtitles.
Rated: Not rated; probably R for nudity
Showing: Varsity
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