Post Tenebras Lux – 7.8

Compellingly strange or strangely compelling, this Mexican film at the Walker Art Center was like a puzzle without an answer that was still fun to do. Just as all paintings needn’t be realistic, not all movies need to make narrative sense. Here, one discrete scene followed another – some were past, some present, some imaginary – but all involved the same characters, whom we came to know and even care about. Carlos Reygado’s direction evoked the magical realism of Garcia Marquez and the scenes all fit to create an often beautiful tapestry. The mysteries of Upstream Color were often just annoying; here they were lyrical.