Post Tenebras Lux

The devil moves about, peeking into our bedrooms while we sleep. A quote from the book of Job, “After darkness, light”, gives the title to the fourth film by director Carlos Reygadas. Through an “old pane of glass”, it allows us to look into several time periods in the life of a married couple, Juan and Natalia, and their two children, who have moved from the big city to the Mexican countryside. The naive idea of paradise and symbiosis with nature is, however, permeated by relationship peripeties, senseless violence, revenge, and distrustful neighbours who feel provoked by the immigrants’ lifestyle. In his psychedelic assemblage, Reygadas attempts not only to disrupt the classical film narrative, but also to disrupt the moral certainties of the individual. The film was hailed as one of the most controversial auteur statements of its time, for which it was also awarded the Directing Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.