"After Lucia" : Silent Suffering Of A Martyr Daughter

In recent years Mexico's cinema has had a sort of Renaissance that has allowed it to diversify more than in any other time. There is the usual easily digestible local comedies, more recently a few horror films, love stories, and then the smaller but very precise "art house" niche that has transcended the local praise to become renowned around the world. The best example perhaps are the crude, poetic, and sometimes experimental films by auteur Carlos Reygadas, who has an eye for the stories of the outcasts, or marginalized characters in Mexican society. On the other hand we have the newest face of psychologically complex Mexican dramas, Michel Franco. With his previous film "Daniel & Ana", he demonstrated his predilection for stories that stray from the rural to focus on the stories of wealthy Mexican families, and the humanity he finds in them despite their privileged position. In his first feature he tells the story of two siblings from a well-off family in Mexico City, who are kidnapped and forced to do despicable acts in front of a camera to sell on some sort of underground pornographic industry. Crude, but very haunting, as the film is more about the aftermath than the act itself. Walking on familiar road, Franco returns with his sophomore feature "After Lucia", which is a story about suffering in silence, victimization, bullying, and inevitably, revenge. A simple plot at first look, but layered with subjectivity and enhanced by a devastating performance by the lead actress Tessa Ia Gonzalez Norvid. A film that will scar,provoke, infuriated and perhaps even make the audience uneasy with its brutal resolution.

Moving from small town Puerto Vallarta to Mexico City seems like the right decision for Roberto (Hernan Mendoza) after the death of his wife Lucia in a car accident. Roberto and his daughter Alejandra (Tessa Ia Gonzalez Norvid) try to adapt to life in the new big city while they silently mourn the death of their loved one. Alejandra begins attending a private high school where she makes "friends" who at first seem very welcoming and caring. On his part, Roberto, a chef, finds a job at a high-end restaurant, and though he seems to be ok, the emotional damage he accumulates slowly takes over him. As Alejandra deepens her relationship with her classmates, teenage drama turns into extreme violence and psychological torment due to the spread of a sexual video in which she is involved. Quietly restrained,Alejandra hides the vicious acts from her father as to protect him from even more pain. They both play different characters around each other, but outside their home,  Roberto's violent behavior escalates as Alejandra's tormentors completely break her spirit. When the group of teens take a trip to a beach resort, Alejandra goes missing, her classmates/tormentors must confess to their crimes, and the film takes a turn that will linger with audience until the last shot.

Alejandra becomes a sort of martyr, suffering in silence is the most selfless thing she can do for her father, at least in her mind. Pretending to be happy, and even subtly taking on her mother's role, cooking for him, wearing her dresses, or even encouraging him to find love again. The film is full with small, weaved-in details about the characters and their state of mind. Many times the film includes shots from inside a car, as if to become a motif to represent Lucia and her tragic death. It is revealed  that Alejandra was involved in the accidental passing of her mother, thus her guilt is not shown but vividly present in her behavior. This vulnerability is ceased by her school's bullies who bank on anything to humiliate her, and abuse her. The film is much more than a narrative PSA on bullying; although it is a big driving force for the film, the story is much more psychologically complex. Franco explores the lack of trust between parents and children, the secrecy that allows bullies to exist, and above all, the unresolved sadness and grieving that separated Roberto and Alejandra emotionally. Lucia's death was the beginning to the unraveling of their distancing, for which I think the film's title is extremely fitting.what happens after one is gone? and how it forever changes the lives of those around us.

The authenticity of the film relies on its amazing cast, from violently subtle Hernan Mendoza as Roberto, to the young ensemble cast that played Alejandra's classmates. Nevertheless, it is evident that the star of the film Gonzalez Norvid gives a performance not to be forgotten easily. Natural, nuanced, innocent, and broken, as Alejandra she becomes a sort of Joan of Arc from Dreyer's film. Suffering alone in the company of her father, to save him, a sacrificial sheep for the enjoyment of her peers. The film also thrives on the magnificent visuals and evocative landscapes of the ocean as if to show us the only place where Alejandra can be free. In the final twist at sea, the cinematography adds a pessimistic tone to the scene that can only be understood as the lack of true justice and the cyclical temper of violence. Franco has become an auteur that can create stories that are rich in their exploration of human emotions and societal rules, a visionary point of view that sets him apart from his contemporary filmmakers.

Winner of Un Certain Regard in Cannes this year, and chosen as Mexico's Foreign Language Oscar Submission this year, "After Lucia" will anger and move the audience, it will definitely strike a chord with anyone that has ever been bullied, and it will shine some light on the now acceptable tendency to pick on the weak  to prove ones value. A magnificent film that I hope finds a wider audience worldwide in the upcoming months. Grade A+