One of the major new discoveries in the Directors’ Fortnight section back in 2009 for Daniel & Ana, Michel Franco’s second visit to the Croisette brought him to the Debussy theatre and an Un Certain Regard berth with After, Lucia (Despues de Lucia). My post screening thoughts: this confirmed what we already know, Franco is a helmer on top of the Mexican new wave. A portrait about a different kind of survivor’s guilt, this sees a young, vulnerable teen (Tessa la Gonzales) and her now widowed father (Hernan Mendoza) develop coping mechanisms that re polar opposites of one another. One thrashes out, while the other, makes a more concerted effort to deal with the pain inwardly. I’m calling this unsettling, engrossing drama a Funny Games for teens. Here’s footage from the world premiere screening.
"Ron and I wanted to make a film that looked at what it means to be an outsider and we wanted to explore what it takes to reach out to someone whose life is very removed from your own."
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