Review of Battle in Heaven (2005) by Arin D — 17 Jul 2008

Though this film was 'well received' at Cannes, I am not sure if the people doing the receiving are the same floating population of metacritics and journos who show up to write about any film with a whiff of 'deviant' sex.

If deviation is showing physical relations between very fat, amateur actors. The transgressive nature of what is portrayed is emphasized through other means, including extremely close shots of the naked body, and then with additional stock art film flourishes such as pan shots which move from the action to take in the sky, other people, etc.

Reygadas says a lot in his 'Extra Features' interview, including his philosophy for casting non-actors (but if you act, you are an actor, no?), and his firm belief in showing sex as it really (apparently) happens - no sheets tucked under chins, for example.

But in his own framing of the first scene (think The Brown Bunny but more graphic) and the last (ditto), he is taking the transgressive sexuality way out of its context in the plot, and putting it as the bookends of his feature.

Now that seems less than authentic for a director crying out for recognition from the festival crowd.