Fuego Negro/Dark Forces (2020)

Fuego Negro has a great premise. Renegade criminal searching for his lost sister finds himself at a mysterious, atmospheric hotel, filled with strange, ominous guests. Writer/director Arellano has gone full David Lynch here and made an enticingly enigmatic movie. What's real and what's a dream are the sorts of questions you'll be asking yourself as you watch this visually stunning and audacious film.

Arellano uses a gorgeous art direction and surreal cinematography to create a world just outside of reality. Clearly his film is on the lower end of the budget scale but he shows us just what you can do with a lot of artistic license and ingenuity. Fuego Negro is sumptuous and lush as it weaves its way through its teasing story, a story that flirts with just the right amount of intrigue and melodrama. He balances the sex and violence well too, leaning more into the sex appeal and leaving the violence more suggested.

Not that Fuego Negro is always easy to watch. There are some Cronenberg-esque moments that are haunting to say the least. This film is likely not for the feint of heart. But it's all done with an air of artistic flair that focuses on aesthetics, colour, and texture which is riveting.

Fuego Negro is a fugue fever dream that is both terrifying and lovely. It shouldn't be explained but experienced and interpreted for yourself.

Fuego Negro/Dark Forces
Starring: Mauricio Aspe, Johana Fragoso Blendl, Dale Carley
Writer/Director: Bernardo Arellano