Review of Undertow (2009) by Glenn G — 25 Nov 2010

This is a film to seek out and love. Peru's official Foreign Language Film entry for Academy Award consideration, UNDERTOW is a lyrical, gently, deeply moving tale of an unusual love triangle set in a remote Peruvian fishing village.

All begins very sweetly as a man and his wife await the birth of their first child, but the fact that he has a secret male lover complicates matters. The turning point, which employs a bit of magical realism, is better left unsaid here, as I feel it's better for you to discover this wonderful film as it unfolds.

Needless to say, the triangle proves to me a major dramatic element in the story, but it's the deliberate pacing, the wonderful performances of its three gorgeous leads, the stunning seaside imagery, and the respect writer/director Javier Fuentes-Leon has for his characters and the audiences, that puts this film a cut above.

This is no "Oh Girl" gay film. It's vivid, fresh, and truly heartfelt. It's little wonder it won a major award at this year's Sundance Film Festival as well as countless others. If you don't live in NY or LA, call your local cinema and ask for it.

If you live in the major cities, what are you sitting here for? Get out there and support independent cinema before 3D craptastic comic books become the norm, not the exception. Oops, too late.