Undertow

Highly acclaimed and hugely popular gay drama about a married fisherman in love with an artist, Undertow is the winner of 39 film festival awards. Miguel is a young and handsome fisherman who lives with his beautiful pregnant wife in Cabo Blanco, a small traditional fishing village in Northern Peru. What nobody knows is that Miguel is having a passionate affair with Santiago, a painter ostracized from the community due to his sexuality and agnostic views. When Santiago drowns accidentally, Miguel has to make an important choice that could cause him to lose the people he loves the most. With its emotionally charged love story, sweeping images of the beautiful Peruvian coastline, and excellent cast, Undertow examines the complicated intersection of manhood, masculinity, sexuality, and tradition.

UNDERTOW IS ONE OF THE MANY FILMS INCLUDED IN THE CATALOGUE OF SPANISH FILM CLUB. SFC AFFILIATED UNIVERSITIES CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A SPECIAL PRICE OF $99 IF THE TITLE HAS BEEN INCLUDED IN THEIR SFC FESTIVAL. PLEASE CONTACT SFC STAFF AT FILMCLUB@PRAGDA.COM FOR MORE DETAILS.

WHAT SFC AFFILIATED UNIVERSITIES ARE SAYING

“Students loved the topic of the film and were surprised at a point of how well this issue was treated. They enjoyed the film and its narrative style.” – María Lamarque, Associate Professor, Texas A&M University-Commerce

“I think that this is an excellent film on the theme of culture and sexuality and will encourage my students to seek it out to view it.”
– Lea Ramsdell, Associate Professor, Towson University

“This film resonated with everyone to demonstrate how different same sex rights are in countries outside the United States. The ending became a talking point as audience members attempted to understand where Miguel stood in the community.” – Heather Carnahan, Graduate Student, Illinois State University

“Writer-director Javier Fuentes-Leon’s directorial debut…is sublime…a level of insightful psychological layering whose payoff might leave you weeping.” – Ernest Hardy, SAN FRANCISCO WEEKLY

“…gorgeous and heartbreaking. Jumping out of Seat” – David Wiegand, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

“…Lovely, lyrical, near-universally romantic, and ends on a quiet grace note that is bittersweet perfection.” – Dennis Harvey, SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN

“A delicate drama about a Peruvian villager’s struggle to keep his gay love affair hidden” – Tim Grierson, THE SCREEN DAILY

“A small movie with a full heart, Undertow takes an old idea — the loving, lingering ghost — and gives it reverberant, resuscitated life.” – Manhola Dargis, THE NEW YORK TIMES

“Lyrical, poignant…it quickly casts a seductive, sensual spell. A wholly unified work of art, suffused in an inviting atmosphere, incorporating supernatural elements with the greatest of ease, compelling storytelling and completely natural yet succinct, sympathetic portrayals. Gorgeous cinematography and a plaintive score complete the intuitively well-blended ingredients that constitute Undertow.” – Kevin Thomas, LOS ANGELES TIMES

“This poetic gem about loss and the consequences of a passionate but hidden gay relationship in a tiny ocean-side village of modest fishermen deservedly won Sundance’s World Cinema Audience Award and represents Peru’s bid for an Oscar nom.” – Doris Toumarkine, FILM JOURNAL

“Strikingly photographed to accentuate the majestic Peruvian coastline, this sexy, haunting love story transcends place and time.” – David Courier, SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

“Brokeback Mountain meets Ghost gets you halfway there, but this is a measured, delicate film, set in a vividly evoked landscape.” – Steve Rose, THE GUARDIAN

“Critic’s Pick. “A modern-day fable…as beautiful as it is agonizing.” – Stephanie Merry

“Undertow (Contracorriente) crests on a technical level. Mauricio Vidal’s luminous lensing of the gorgeous coastline, punctuated by many eye-popping John Ford-like silhouettes from under cave arches, is the film’s highlight.” – Duane Byrne, The Hollywood Reporter

“This film resonated with everyone to demonstrate how different same sex rights are in countries outside the United States. The ending became a talking point as audience members attempted to understand where Miguel stood in the community.” – Heather Carnahan, Graduate Student, Illinois State University

“Undertow’s three impassioned lead performances and Fuentes-León’s honest engagement with thorny matters of identity, sexuality and community still make it an easy movie to get swept up by.” – Eric Hynes, TIME OUT NEW YORK