Después de Lucía

In an early scene of the movie, a grieving husband suddenly bursts into tears while cooking. His 17-year-old daughter is with him in the house, but prefers to stay away. The sight of her father crying, which deeply moves her, leaves a authority void in her life that will define her behavior as things unravel at her new school. The relationship between Alejandra and her father is of deep love, but too many things are left unspoken, maybe precisely because each one thinks it is his duty to protect the other.

But at its seething heart, After Lucia is about the abject cruelty of the human being, and more specifically of teenagers. The acts portrayed soon become monstrous,and the issues raised are only too real. Unfortunately, the ensemble lacks cohesion, and leaves many questions unanswered about the characters and the plot. Moreover, the emotional frigidness of the film, desisting any sentimentalism, may be annoying to some. The camera seems to shun the characters, and consequently never gets close to them.

The film is saved by Tessa Ia Gonzalez, you embodies a scarred teenager. The scary intensity of her gaze, at once eerily serene and seething with mute terrors, will stick long in your minds.

Even if confusing, After Lucia packs a hard emotional wallop and have proved to be, alongside with American indie Compliance, one of the most disturbing sit in recent memory.