UNDERTOW (CONTRACORRIENTE) - In Cinemas This July

[Newsroom]

Winner of the 2010 Sundance World Cinema Audience Award, UNDERTOW (CONTRACORRIENTE) is the impressive debut feature film of Javier Fuentes-León, continuing Latin-America’s exploration of ‘magical realism’ in modern cinema.

Capturing the hidden beauty of the sweeping Peruvian coastline with stunning photography, this haunting, bittersweet tale of a unique love-triangle set within a small fishing village, explores the quest to define contemporary sexual identity, confronted by dogma and tradition and the forces of courage, honor and truth that compel us to challenge them.

In a small fishing village on the Northern coast of Peru, where deep rooted religious traditions run deep, Miguel (Cristian Mercado, Che), a well respected fisherman and his beautiful bride, Mariela (Tatiana Astengo), are about to welcome their firstborn. But Miguel harbors a scandalous secret; he is also in love with a man, Santiago (Manolo Cardona, Beverly Hills Chihuahua), a visiting artist who has been ostracized by the local community because of his sexuality.

When Santiago drowns in a tragic accident involving the ocean's strong undertow, his spirit returns to Miguel in a form that only he is able to see. For the first time, they are free to express their love without fear. But Santiago remains trapped in the village, unable to cross peacefully to the other side, until his body is found and buried in accordance with the rituals of the town.

Miguel now has to decide whether to sentence Santiago to eternal torment by refusing to cooperate, or choosing to do right by him, setting him free and in turn, revealing their relationship to Mariela and the entire village.

Forced to deal with the consequences of his acts, Miguel must now come to terms with who he really is, even if by doing so, he stands the chance of losing everything, including the people he loves the most.