"UNDERTOW"
Director: Javier Fuentes-León
Trevor's Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars

Shot on the stunningly beautiful Cabo Blanco coast of Peru, Contracorriente ("Undertow") is a quirky and tumultuous love story between a stranger and a small town local who struggle to keep their relationship a secret. You think you've heard it all before, but there's a bit of a twist: The stranger dies while swimming along the coast and his ghost is now haunting his lover. The acting is solid, with wonderful performances by both male leads. But it is the steady direction by Fuentes-León that truly shines here, made all the more impressive by the fact that this is his feature directorial debut. We were lucky enough to have him at this screening, and he is incredibly charming

I really wanted to love this film, and I think it is pretty incredible. But it just never really hit me in the gut, where you would expect such an intense and dramatic love story to hit. I guess I should have identified with the stranger in town, who wants his married-with-child lover to run away with him. He is certainly the more readily identifiable as gay of the two. But I felt little interest in him nor his closeted lover. Perhaps it is the two men's masculinity that makes me feel distant. Their's is the kind of even-keeled, easy-going masculine way of being that has always intimidated me.

Nevertheless, I can certainly recognize the beauty of this film. It's definitely worth checking out.