Undertow
2009 · Movie · 100 min · ★ 7.4 · 82% critics
A married fisherman in a small town struggles to balance his devotion to his male lover with the community’s rigid expectations. As tradition and religion loom large, his private conflict tests his relationships and threatens the life he’s built.
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Details
- Original title
- Contracorriente
- Years
- 2009
- Release date
- 2009-09-23
- Language
- Spanish
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Critic score
- 82/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.4/10 (125 votes)
About
If you want an emotional, intimate romance set in a conservative fishing community with strong visual beauty, you may enjoy Undertow; Not for you if you dislike tragic themes or expect affirming LGBT stories like Brokeback Mountain or Shelter.
Pros: beautiful seaside atmosphere; moving romance; restrained storytelling | Cons: controversy about messaging; uneven character empathy; uncomfortable homophobia themes
Themes
- sea
- ritual
- peru
- lover
- supernatural
- fisherman
- male homosexuality
- in the closet
- death
- ghost story
- magic realism
- lgbt
- +4 more
Awards & recognition
- Luces Award — Best Film · 2010
- International Submission to the Academy Awards · 2011 · nominated
Cast & crew
Cristian Mercado
as Miguel
Manolo Cardona
as Santiago
Tatiana Astengo
as Mariela
- JC
José Chacaltana
as Héctor
- AB
Attilia Boschetti
as Sra. La Rosa
- MP
María Edelmira Palomino
as Doña Flor
- JC
Julio Humberto Cavero
as Padre Juan
Haydeé Cáceres
as Trinidad
Emilram Cossío
as Pato
Cindy Díaz
as Isaura
Directed by Javier Fuentes-León