Carlos Reygadas's "Silent Light"

By Max Goldberg

Mexican filmmaker Carlos Reygadas’ third movie is an unmistakably serious work, the kind of big-questions, large-canvas filmmaking which has become a rarity even at Cannes, where “Silent Light” shared a jury prize with buoyant “Persepolis.” Reygadas endured much hectoring for the brash sex scenes in his second feature, “Battle in Heaven,” though one senses that many of these critics had a plainer dislike for the deliberately challenging narration also featured in his debut, Japón. “Silent Light” lands in an isolated Mennonite community in hardscrabble Northern Mexico, and is already taking potshots for its slow-winding scenario, inexpressive performances by nonprofessionals (the film is apparently the first made in the Plautdiestch dialect), and stacked spirituality.

As to the film

topics: cannes film festival, filmmakers, latin cinema

12.12.2007