movies
‘Heil Jupiter!’ Review: Carlos Reygadas’ Latest Cinematic Head Trip
Iconoclastic Mexican director Carlos Reygadas continues to test the boundaries of cinema, and the patience of many a viewer, in his latest audaciously executed head trip, Heil Jupiter!
Making its world premiere at the New York Film Festival, this highly experimental and exhausting experience hops across several continents, time periods and languages — including an invented one used for many dialogue scenes — as it follows four friends whose lives go from heavenly to hellish over the course of 158 minutes. Who these people are and what they’ve even doing seem to matter less to Reygadas than plunging us into visceral scenes of sex, authoritarian violence and head-scratching surrealism taking place amid lots of breathtaking backdrops shot across the globe. There are definitely some unforgettable images in Heil Jupiter!, but good luck trying to make heads or tails of them.
Heil Jupiter!
The Bottom Line
Visually arresting and totally self-indulgent.
Venues: New York Film Festival (Currents)
Cast: Neli de la Rosa, Alexis Sánchez Alonso, Flor de León, Alexis Said Villa de León
Director-screenwriter: Carlos Reygadas
2 hours 38 minutes
The Mexican auteur started off in the early aughts with a trio of strikingly directed arthouse flicks (Japón, Battle in Heaven, Silent Light) combining a form of minimalist realism with something more animalistic and otherworldly, as if the work of Robert Bresson had been rejiggered by Terence Malick. For his fourth feature, Post Tenebras Lux, Reygadas took a major detour toward the avant-garde and the personal, in a move that garnered him some detractors while pleasing his more hardcore fans. He went even further with 2018’s Nuestro tiempo, which felt much more self-indulgent than exploratory.
In terms of pure brazenness , Heil Jupiter! marks another leap forward for the director, who has crafted a movie that showcases his trademark visual inventiveness during nearly three hours of head-scratching nonsense. This could again please Reygadas’ diehard followers, while others will be left baffled by a film that seems to be making things up as it goes along. At best, this boldly immersive effort will find a home at other festivals and in one-off screenings, whereas general indie distribution seems unlikely.
The movie kicks off with a bunch of abstract colors and shapes flashing on screen for a while, as if we were watching an animated Rothko painting or being brainwashed à la The Parallax View. Reygadas then hurls us into the sea during a long shot of waves hitting the camera, until he finally cuts away to reveal a band of amigos — Lina (Neli de la Rosa), Milu (Alexis Sánchez Alonso), Tzina (Flor de León) and Said (Alexis Said Villa de León) — embarking on a fun-filled and rather graphic foursome by the seashore. The lengthy opening sequence ends with the camera literally descending into one of the guy’s butts and then up into his bowels, which could be read as a metaphor for this entire project.
Shot by a handful of cameramen, with Daniel Valdés Serrano receiving top credit, Heil Jupiter! shares a similar look to Reygadas’ recent features, using a box-like 1.33:1 frame and short focal lengths to give everything an experiential, you-are-there quality. Sometimes the images are blurred along the edges, while other shots seem to have been manipulated using CGI. The soundtrack is filled with layered mixing punctuated by the occasional burst of operatic or choral music (the score is credited to ten people, including Reygadas).
It’s worth emphasizing the film’s imagery because it’s otherwise hard to discern anything resembling a plot. After the opening orgy, we cut to fighter jets flying over snow-capped peaks in search of a “Mysterious Earth Sound.” Then we’re inside a cave lighted by campfire, where we see Lina and Tzina giving each other manual pleasure while other semi-naked folks dance around them. Then we’re in Poland, where the bodycam of a local cop reveals a raid on an immigrant family that includes Tzina, who now has several children. Later, she’s brought in a police car to a nearby pond, strapped to an excavator and dunked into the water as a crowd of anti-immigrant protestors cheer on the public execution.
The other characters don’t fare much better in a film that takes us from the ecstasy of sexual freedom to scenes of torture, humiliation and degradation, including one long sequence set in a meat factory specializing in human body parts. Much of the closing reel of Heil Jupiter! focuses on a trial during which Lina is accused of witchcraft by the Mexican authorities, in extended dialogue scenes shot like they’re on Court TV. Excuse me, but what hell is going on here? (Emphasis on hell, which describes the general mood during much of the film, even if the ending offers up a semi-surreal form of hope.)
In the press notes, Reygadas claims he was “seeking out images and sounds, all undefined, without structure but clearly trembling together.” That’s probably a good summary of what he’s accomplished here, because one would be hard pressed to make sense of this unrestrained mess of a movie. That doesn’t mean Heil Jupiter! lacks a certain power, especially during some of its more visually absorbing moments, but taken as a whole — and a long one at that — it leaves you feeling submerged, indundated and tiredly washed ashore, just like in its neverending opening shot.
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Chinese director Niu Niu’s Final Payment scooped the Best Film Award in the Fei Mu Awards of this year’s Pingyao International Film Festival (PYIFF), while Rafiki Fariala’s Congo Boy won Best Film in the festival’s Roberto Rossellini Awards.
Final Payment, which also won Best Actor for Niu Jianrong’s performance, revolves around a homeowner clashing with a contractor over the final payment following a set of renovations on his home. PYIFF’s competition jury stated: “Tearing through a very small rip, the film leads us into a reality and emotional landscape so expansive, where we sigh, lament, and reflect. The director’s approach is concise, unpretentious, and masterful, earning the wholehearted recognition of the entire jury.”
The Best Film award came with a cash prize of $150,000 (RMB1m) with half given to the director for the development of their next film, and half given to the distributor in China. Niu Niu previously directed Mr Junjun, which was awarded with the Jury Award and Youth Jury Award at PYIFF in 2023.
Also in the Fei Mu Awards, Xu Zao won Best Director for Light Pillar, while Best Actress went to Sun Yi for Wang Xiaozhen’s A Joke. The Jury Award was presented to Dong Jie’s Zoom In, Zoom Out, which had its world premiere in Venice Critics Week, while a special mention went to Cai Chengjie’s Suzhou Quartet.
The Fei Mu awards are focused on the festival’s Hidden Dragons section, which selects first, second and third films from emerging directors making Chinese-language films, while the Roberto Rossellini Awards focus on the Crouching Tigers section for emerging international directors.
Congo Boy, which took Best Film in the Roberto Rossellini Awards, also won Best Actor when it premiered in Un Certain Regard at this year’s Cannes film festival. The PYIFF award came with a cash prize of $20,000, with half given to the director for the development of their next film, and half given to the distributor in China.
The PYIFF jury stated: “The Jury unanimously has been moved by this autobiographical story, told in a simple style that echoes the great tradition of neorealism. For a film focusing on a character that confronts his world with optimism despite dark times and takes on his shoulders the destiny of his entire family.”
Also in this section, the Philippines’ Rafael Manuel won Best Director for Filipiñana, while the Jury Award went to Ben’imana, directed by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, which won the Camera d’Or at this year’s Cannes. The jury also awarded Rakan Mayasi’s Yesterday The Eye Didn’t Sleep a Special Mention.
Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui received the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon East-West Award, shortly before she receives the Camellia Award at Busan International Film Festival next week.
Pingyao’s International Contribution To Chinese Cinema Award went to Marco Müller, who founded the festival with Chinese auteur Jia Zhangke and currently serves as Artistic Director of the Film Art Research Centre at Shanghai University, and veteran producer, director and former chairman of China Film Group Han Sanping. Hello Group chairman Tang Yan was presented with a 10th Anniversary Award.
This year’s PYIFF opened on September 24 with a screening of the 4K restoration of Fei Mu’s Spring In A Small Town; closed with Good Trip, co-directed by Hong Kong filmmakers Norris Wong and Hoi Wong, and also screened Jia’s short film Torino Shadow, which premiered at this year’s Cannes.
PINGYAO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2026 AWARDS:
FEI MU AWARDS:
Best Film: Final Payment, dir: Niu Niu
Best Director: Xu Zao, Light Pillar
Best Actress: Sun Yi, A Joke, dir: Wang Xiaozhen
Best Actor: Niu Jianrong, Final Payment, dir: Niu Niu
Jury Award: Zoom In, Zoom Out, dir: Dong Jie
Special Mention: Suzhou Quartet, dir: Cai Chengjie
ROBERTO ROSSELLINI AWARDS:
Best Film: Congo Boy, dir: Rafiki Fariala
Best Director: Filipiñana, dir: Rafael Manuel
Jury Award: Ben’imana, dir: Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo
Special Mention: Yesterday The Eye Didn’t Sleep, dir: Rakan Mayasi
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SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from Tuesday night’s episode of Dancing with the Stars.
It’s another exciting night in the ballroom as 13 contestants are still eyeing the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy during Week 3 of Dancing with the Stars.
Last week, the judges reinforced just how tough they are going to be this season, once again declining to score anyone above a 7. Still, three couples — Jenna and Val, Ezra and Daniella, and Amber and Pasha — walked away tied for the top of the leaderboard with 21 points. We also said goodbye to Alan Bersten and chef Giada De Laurentiis.
Week 3 is Yacht Rock night, so the remaining couples are performing to hits from artists including Fleetwood Mac, The Doobie Brothers, and Luther Vandross.
Here is how the night went.
Olympian Amber Glenn with Pasha Pashkov danced a Foxtrot to “Hold the Line” by Toto. SCORE: 24
Actress Julia Stiles with Ezra Sosa danced a salsa to “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” by Daryl Hall & John Oates. SCORE: 19
Late-night sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez with Whitney Carson danced a Foxtrot to “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes. SCORE: 15
Actress Tatyana Ali with Jan Ravnik performed a Quickstep to “Maneater” by Daryl Hall & John Oates. SCORE: 21
Actor Harry Shum Jr. with Jenna Johnson performed a jive to “You Make My Dreams Come True” by Daryl Hall & John Oates. SCORE: 24
Musician Taylor Hanson with Britt Stewart danced a Foxtrot to “What a Fool Believes” by The Doobie Brothers. SCORE: 18
Reality star Maura Higgins with Mark Ballas danced a Quickstep to “Turn Your Love Around” by George Benson. SCORE: 22
Reality star Ciara Miller with Brandon Armstrong performed a Cha Cha to “Never Too Much” by Luther Vandross. SCORE: 18
Savannah Bananas midfielder Jackson Olson with Emma Slater performed a paso doble to “Easy Lover” by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins. SCORE: 18
Comedian and podcaster Connor Wood with Rylee Arnold danced a Foxtrot to “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac. SCORE: 20
Actress Jenna Dewan with Val Chmerkovskiy danced a samba to “Africa” by Toto. SCORE: 21
Reality star Tyler Cameron with Sharna Burgess danced a jive to “Still the One” by Orleans. SCORE: 17
Paralympian Ezra Frech with Daniella Karagach danced a Foxtrot to “Just the Two of Us” by Grover Washington Jr. featuring Bill Withers. SCORE: 21
Who goes home?
The competition is now down to 12 as Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart were sent home. Next week is all about Mariah Carey, so the couples will perform a variety of the pop superstar’s biggest hits.
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Another hockey book adaptation has entered the chat.
Netflix is currently building out its cast for the series adaptation of Hannah Grace’s Icebreaker book that kicks off the Maple Hill series. This in addition to their show The Sticks that is also currently in the works.
For everything we know about Netflix’s Icebreaker book adaptation so far, read on.
When will Netflix’s Icebreaker series adaptation come out?
A release date has not yet been set. The show has begun to assemble its cast.
Who will lead the Icebreaker show at Netflix?
Daisy Jelley (Poser, How To Have Sex) will portray Anastasia “Stassie” Allen, and Connor Simos (Subversion) will portray Nate Hawkins in the college hockey drama series.
Who else is in the cast of Netflix’s Icebreaker adaptation?
Gabriel Tierney (Rivals, Enola Holmes 2), Auliʻi Cravalho (Moana), newcomer and professional athlete Peter Berry, Chaneil Kular (Best of the Best, Sex Education), Devin Craig (Sex Lives of College Girls, Maize) and Aidan Shaw (We Were Liars, Heated Rivalry, Finding Her Edge) have joined the ensemble cast.
Tierney will play Aaron; Cravalho will portray Lola; Berry is Robbie; Kular will play JJ; Craig will portray Henry and Shaw is Russ.
What is Hannah Grace’s Icebreaker book about?
Stassie is a transfer athlete gunning for Olympic gold. Nate is the campus star chasing the NHL. When an accident forces their teams to share one rink, Anastasia Allen and Nate Hawkins collide—and discipline gives way to obsession, because the only thing more dangerous than wanting to win is wanting each other.
Who else is behind Netflix’s Icebreaker series?
Jade Halley Bartlett (Road House, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Miller’s Girl) created and executive produced the series. Amanda Lasher (Gossip Girl, The Bold Type, Togetherness) serves as showrunner, writer and excutive producer. Grace also executive produces along with Alex Cooper, Matt Kaplan and Mina Lefevre for Cooper’s Unwell Productions.
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