Movie Review: Under the Volcano

Director: John Huston
Genre: Drama
Genre: 1984

Geoffrey Firmin (Albert Finney; Before the Devil Knows You Are Dead, Big Fish), British consul to Mexico, stationed in Cuernavaca, is drunk. Again, this time permanently. With his life unraveling before him, paired with the seeming loss of his wife, he has begun to split at the seams, chasing drink after drink in a futile attempt to drown his sorrows. With his resignation in order and determined to live the rest of his life submerged head first in the ‘magic’ of Mexico that keep him in Cuernavaca, Firmin is determined to make alcohol his sole friend.

Set against the magnificent backdrop of the Popocatepetl, a volcano in central Mexico, in 1938 and on the Day of the Dead, one can see the limitless possibilities for symbolism, which are widely used along with strains of superstition, both Mexican and British, throughout. The turn of events comes when Firmin’s ex-wife Yvonne (Jacqueline Bisset; Death in Love, Domino) unexpectedly returns and shows up at home, much to the surprise of Geoffrey and his brother Hugo, who has recently returned from the Spanish Civil War.

The tension between these three is thick and prominent throughout the entire film and becomes the focus of this dialogue heavy film, at a time when not only are these people’s lives on the edge of a precipice, but the world itself as the undercurrents of World War II silently, but dangerously, begin to pick up.

A true drama, this film falls more on the artistic vein and demands some patience from the viewer, making of itself more of a portrait of the three main characters than anything else. Without giving too much away, expect moments of tension, adult disagreements and a main character that is drunk literally from beginning to end. While the story itself may not be charming, the utilization of Mexican culture to tell the story of three British citizens was most certainly curious, it is a matter of getting past its slow unfolding to its shuddering end in order to appreciate fully. If slow paced films are not for you, steer away from this one.

Rating:
Comments: Adult situations, alcoholism, some language (both in English and Spanish), moments of violence and prostitution.
Quote: Geoffrey Firmin: How, unless you drink as I do, can you hope to understand the beauty of an old indian woman playing dominoes with a chicken?