Sydney Film Festival 2017 - Film Review - The Untamed

Veronica (Simone Bucio) and Alejandra (Ruth Ramos) in The Untamed

Mexican film director and producer Amat Escalante, won a Venice Silver Lion as best director for this film which he describes as a meld of social realism and erotic science fiction. The film contains equal measure of domestic violence and unworldly lust. Escalante is no Peter Greenaway (The Pillow Book, Prospero's Books) hence his eroticism is closer to soft edge porn than sensuality. The film is also one of the twelve in the official competition at the Sydney Film Festival.

The storyline follows mother-of-two, Alejandra who endures a joyless marriage with her  bogan husband, Angel. Unbeknown to her, Angel is also having an affair with her brother who works in a hospital. Into  her life comes the mysterious Veronica who, having been injured by an unknown animal, is treated by her brother in hospital and is attracted to him. The two women form a closer friendship following a violent assault by an unknown force on Alejandra's brother, the arrest of Angel and the breakdown of the marriage. Veronica introduces Alejandra to her source of eroticism - an alien lifeform living in a cottage in the woods with a scientist. The lifeform is capable of both extreme pleasure and pain and both women enjoy sexual pleasures with the alien (which resembles a large octopus with roving tentacles). 

There are various elements of gratuitous nudity and sex throughout the film including a non too subtle scene involving Angel attempting to urinate while drunk. The principal photography and atmospherics are contextual but often ineffectual and appear overtly contrived. The acting of the cast is acceptable but not exceptional with most attention focused on the two female lead. Overall this film is more for the voyeur.