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| Marieta (Tatiana Astengo) and Miguel (Christian Mercado) in Undertow. |
Against the current
By John Esther
Written and directed by Javier Fuentes-Leon, Undertow (Contracorriente) walks a thin line between taking a stance against homophobia and holding homosexuality accountable for its disruption to tradition.
Peru's pick for Oscar submission in the Best Film in a Foreign Language category, Undertow tells the tale of Miguel (Christian Mercado), who is madly in love with his wife, Marieta (Tatiana Astengo). She is pregnant and is about to give him a son. But then Miguel falls for an artist named Santiago (Manola Cardona). The community frowns on this kind of relationship.
The way most Peruvians in the Peruvian coastal town treat Santiago is deplorable. Rooted in superstition they are cruel to the artist. They ignore him. They throw things at his house. They consider him a pervert. Conversely, Santiago is selfish, expecting Miguel to throw away everything for a love, which Miguel resists; Miguel does not consider himself gay. To compound matters, Marieta is very sympathetic and, thanks to Santiago, her life is being ruined by her husband’s homosexual urges.
This strain of sympathies continues until the very end with Santiago getting the better of Miguel at the expense of Marieta. Santiago may have gotten what he wanted, but it is not what Marieta wanted and the film makes it clear whose demands were more justifiable.
Marked by strong performances yet plagued with troubled conceits, rather than promote understanding, it is easy to see how this film could be used by anti-GLBT organizations to keep the GLBT down.
(Undertow screens today, 1:30 p.m., Camelot Theatres; Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m., Camelot Theatres. For more information: Undertow)
