Inside Cannes 2012 Day 6: Michel Franco’s After Lucia (Despues de Lucia)

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.