Battle in Heaven

In an unforgettable opening scene Reygadas turns towards the sublime in the shape of the human body. This means not least that sex and raw nudity play a central part. Marcos is a driver with an indefinable and unhealthy relationship to his boss’ daughter. Moreover, he kidnapped a baby with his wife who died accidentally as a result. The characters are stripped bare in a manner that is devoid of moralising, while their large, meaty bodies insist on their sculptural value. Rarely are cinema’s visual conventions challenged like this. mm