Silent Light

Told with the same powerful simplicity and stylistic austerity as Japon and Battle in Heaven, this third feature from controversial Mexican director Carlos Reygadas eschews the previous films' sexually explicit or violent content. Set in an insular Mennonite farming community within modern Mexico (the members speak Plautdietsch—a German dialect—among themselves), Silent Light tells the story of a spiritually devoted patriarch farmer named Johan (Cornelio Wall) struggling with the ethical and emotional complications of a love affair. Told with great compassion and respect for all of its characters, Silent Light's measured pace and simple but evocative images of rural life are beautifully in tune with the austerity of their surroundings and the changing seasons—from the affectionate scenes of the family bathing in an outdoor pool to a luminous vision of dawn over the landscape. A dramatic third act evoking the themes of redemption and forgiveness brings powerful closure to this compassionate portrait of dedicated, vulnerable folks whose doubts, fears, and struggles resonate deeply. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a “making-of” featurette (36 min.), deleted scenes (7 min.), and an interview with costar Cornelio Wall (7 min.). Bottom line: a solid extras package for a winning film.] (S. Axmaker)