Battle in Heaven was the first film that made me examine the Rotten Tomatoes community. Watching it, I was astonished (!) that this film ever got made because:
- Reygadas had to get “20” permits to shoot with the military unfurling the Mexican flag
- He probably had to get another 10 to shoot at the Cathedral
- He had to find very fat people who were comfortable having “sex” on camera
- He had to find a hot girl who would have sex with a fat man on camera for “art’s sake.”
The film delivered all this with a classy Antonioni confidence of very thought-out long shots, great urban and rural scenery, and a genuinely focused character development.
After looking at the Rotten Tomatoes “critics,” all I can say it is mostly made up of the same sort of idiots who make up the wingnut blogosphere — if it’s not Ronald Reagan, it totally sucks.