Battle In Heaven & Japon

Two compelling, disturbing, beautiful films from Mexico's Carlos Reygadas. I just watched both of these back to back in that order, though Japon was his first big hit.

They both share many themes (pervasiveness of Catholicism in Mexico, class differences, ennui and nihilism), but I am most impressed with the aesthetics of these films. The cinematography and music really drive the emotional impacts, as well as the natural acting and dialogue.

They are both fairly sexually explicit, but not especially titillating. I highly recommend them as examples of pure cinema, where the image is really the force to be reckoned with.