THE UNTAMED

How do you best describe a film, where the less you know about it, the better? La región salvaje is such a wonderful example, where any attempt to reproduce it accurately in words must inevitably fail. But it all starts quite harmlessly: Alejandra lives unhappily with her husband Angel and their two sons in the desolate Mexican province of Guanajuato. He can't satisfy her in bed, and prefers to seek his own sexual gratification with her gay brother Fabien. But things only really seem to get out of hand when a young woman named Veronika appears in the city and promises Fabien a completely novel and exciting experience.

The young Mexican filmmaker Amat Escalante last drew international attention in 2013 with Heli, a film permeated by breathtaking violence. In La región salvaje, he lets social drama and fantasy weave into each other so impressively and seamlessly, that one finds it hard to extricate oneself from the pull of its disturbing, at times surreal spectacle. Reckless, unrelenting and with a sense of subtle humour, Escalante once again proves to be more than just an unconventional director, but one who understands how to both challenge and entertain his audiences.