Japón

The talk of the 2002 Cannes Film Festival was the visually stunning directorial début of Mexican director Reygadas whose JAPÓN won unanimous critical acclaim. Unlike the high-energy AMORES PERROS and Y TU MAMA TAMBIÉN or the gritty PERFUME DE VIOLETAS, JAPÓN has its roots deep in European arthouse cinema. The story is simple: a man from the Mexico City travels to a remote village to prepare for his death. Lodging with an old Indian widow he is confronted by the primal landscape and the woman’s infinite humanity. Deliberately paced, the film (shot on 16mm Scope) uses the panoramic widescreen to beautiful effect, documenting the strange, the sensual and the spiritual. “Recalls the landscapes of Leone, the mise-en scène of Tarkovsky, and the battle scars of Herzog.” The Village Voice, New York