I understand a couple of not so obvious things after seeing this movie. First of all I now know why Reygadas called his last movie Japan. (which is probably the only direct reference to that country or culture in the afore mentioned movie). Batallas en el cielo Its probably easier to understand in the context of not only Japanese cinema but mostly its contemporary literature. That is probably a safer way to justify the director's obsession with the grotesque, particularly and most evidently the exploited use of obese or old naked bodies. Not portraying but actually engaged into "contrasting intercourse". In Battles in the sky, there is probably a couple of perhaps too evident metaphors. He being the gruesome, dirty or "bad" things if you will, behaving wrongful and undecisive not really knowing why, while at the same time, desires, all the purity innocence or what have you, embodied in Ana, of course she playing the only bit of selflessness, common sense or "good" to put it in bushian dichotomy. This theory covers sense clearly after she tell him to turn himself in... (thats all ill say about the plot) However i do think Reygadas blows over the top. he doesn't seem to understand that the movies are about representing things, not just filming them. Explain: it is a matter of respect to your actors to make em act in order for them to make us believe, so we DO NOT need to see the actor actually peeing on himself, a mere less degrading representation that looks just as effective would do, same aplies for the the erection portrayed and the pointless ness of so much nudity and sex scenes between the (fat couple), I'm not criticizing him for giving us a glimpse on his view of reality represented, but on the fact that this reality is not often "represented" but just shown straight out of the can for the sake of bluring the limits between feature film and pornography.
Review of Battle in Heaven
