Queer Caribbean Thriller 'Candela' Is Visually Stunning

What chance does love have to flourish in a corrupt society? Queer crime thriller "Candela" features striking visuals, poetic dialogue, and social commentary. Set in the Dominican Republic on the brink of destructive 2008 hurricane Gustav, the lives of three disparate people collide.

Directed by Andrés Farías Cintrón, "Candela" is an adaptation of the novel by Rey Andújar, which premiered at the 2021 Festival de Cine Fine Arts and won the Jury Prize at the 2021 Biarritz Festival Latin America.

Drenched in neon lighting, the striking cinematography by Saurabh Monga is the best part of the film. A blinking neon sign illuminates a couple having sex outside a bar; blue light plunges characters into an electric ethereal ambiance; red light bathes a couple in bed; an ambulance's flashing red and yellow lights tinge a detective at a crime scene. Fluid camerawork often pans to the side or slowly zooms in and out, reminiscent of an ocean wave.

Broken into three chapters, "Candela" follows Sera (Sarah Jorge León, who sadly gives a lackluster performance), a wealthy socialite engaged to a man she loathes in order to help her father's company; Perez (Félix Germán), a corrupt police detective disillusioned with his job and apathetic about life; and Lubrini (Cesar Domínguez), a queer drag queen (who performs as Candela) determined to find the truth about his missing boyfriend, queer poet Renato (Richarson Díaz).

Yearning to escape the emotional confines of her life which she feels powerless to control, Sera often remains silent as men – her fiancé, chauffeur, a bartender – talk to her. When she tells her father that she doesn't want to get married, he prioritizes money over her happiness. Sera frequents a nightclub where Candela performs, intently watching as Candela adoringly sings to Renato in the audience. Later, Sera kidnaps Renato at gunpoint – seemingly targeting him due to his queerness and joy – and sexually assaults him in a horrifying, disturbing scene. Beginning as a sympathetic character, her true nature reveals a despicable core.

I found Perez an interesting character due to his moral contradictions. Perez accepts bribes and appallingly threatens a woman to get information, yet he tries to seek justice. He remains frustrated that he can't fix problems due to how people cheat and exploit others. When a character asserts that some people are luckier than others, Perez correctly opines that it's not because of chance but rather wealth.

However, the film spends far too much time following Sera and Perez, and not enough time delving into Lubrini/Candela. When the film finally focuses on Lubrini/Candela in the third act, the cinematography smartly shifts from fluid to handheld and slightly shaky to convey his fragile emotional state and the precariousness of his circumstances.

The environment plays a role throughout: Characters gaze at the ocean, news reports cover the looming storm. A quote by Virgilio Piñera, a gay Cuban poet, author, and playwright, opens the film: "If I didn't think water surrounded me like cancer, I would have slept like a log." The first scene features a spoken-word performance by a Black artist – periodically appearing in dream-like sequences – speaking of hurricanes and marginalized people.

"Candela" critiques homophobia, racism, and classism. Sera's xenophobic fiancé speaks at a televised event about the need to stop Haitian immigrants from coming to the Dominican Republic. Throughout, we witness how rich people oppress others, manipulate situations, and evade culpability, while LGBTQ+ people and poor people struggle. The film's jarring ending leaves no tangible resolutions, reflective of how no easy answers exist in real life.

While I liked its searing social commentary, "Candela" sometimes seems more interested in piecing characters' divergent lives together like a jigsaw puzzle, rather than exploring their psyches or emotions. Or perhaps its structure aims to convey how we are all intertwined and connected, how one action or one decision causes ripples and ramifications. While it left me yearning for something more, "Candela" remains a visually arresting, poetic film.

"Candela" is available on VOD on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.