| LA
CIÉNAGA The Swamp |
 2001 –
Argentina / Spain / France
Director: Lucrecia Martel - Reviewed by Linda
The film starts with uncomfortable close-ups of a group of middle-aged people in swimsuits, lying languidly (and drunkenly) in lawn chairs by a fetid swimming pool. Not that these people are bad-looking by any means, but the camera focuses on body parts, like stretch marks on thighs or a roll of flab over a waistband, objectifying these people with an unscrupulous camera-eye. With the feel of oppressive heat as a dead weight on the scene, you can't help but squirm when one woman drags her metal chair across the concrete, with a torturously excessive scraping sound, like nails on a chalkboard. Then she stumbles, dropping her wine glass, and falls face down into the broken shards. Welcome to the world of La Ciénaga! Said to be a critique of the Argentine bourgeoisie, for those of us not familiar with the politics of that country La Ciénaga resembles a stifling Tennessee Williams drama with divas, washed-up men, racism, and self-destruction. The story revolves around one extended family, their servants, and a sprawling decrepit plantation mansion on the edge of the jungle. There's Mecha (Graciela Borges), the bandaged woman lying in bed all day, barking racial slurs at her "Indian" servants. There's her son José (Juan Cruz Bordeu), who is not only having an affair with his father's ex-mistress, but on his visit home stirs up a randy flirtation with his sister. There's the adolescent daughter Momi (Sofia Bertolotto) who simultaneously adores and feels superior to the Indian maid-servant Isabel (Andrea López). And there's Tali (Mercedes Morán), Mecha's cousin, who has tried to raise her own family away from the creepy self-destructive lifestyle of her family, by barely scraping by in a small apartment in the city. Stir all of these people together, add the feel of the ever-present stifling heat, and, to borrow a comparison from an audience member at the screening, it is like watching a bunch of lazy crocodiles lying next to a swamp. They look easy enough to pick off at a distance, but get too close, and one could surprise you and bite your leg off. With ambience to spare, some nifty camerawork, excellent performances by the ensemble cast, and an underlying very dark humor to contrast the underlying feeling of dread, La Ciénaga is easily one of the greatest director debuts I've seen in a long time. |
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It
is hard for me to put a finger on what I found so damn great about this weird,
funny, dark, and uncomfortable film from Argentina. I was simultaneously
enthralled, put-off, and entertained by this movie from start to finish.
