A Tropical-Punk, Kinky Version of ‘Dante’s Inferno’
This is just the introduction Alighieri provides to Dante’s journey of tragedy and suffering in the afterlife. The 14th-century book critiques the moral and spiritual states and human choices. Alighieri comments on whether or not sinners deserve redemption or should they burn in the depths of hell for eternity. For him, each sin is counter and paid for in pain. Dante’s struggles and internal conflicts were poured into this book, with his doubts and confusion on faith, morals, and ethics depicted through the nine circles of hell–each symbolizing a different sin (lust, agony, wrath, etc.). Spanish-Colombian director Gala del Sol takes inspiration from Alighieri’s book for her film “Rains Over Babel” (“Llueve Sobre Babel”, which screened at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in the NEXT section), as it so describes itself: “Dante’s Inferno… but tropical.”
With a tropical-punk, kinky twist on the material, del Sol uses this venture to hell and back to explore the internal struggles and past traumas of her characters. They, literally and metaphorically, gamble their lives away in games of chance to beat Death itself. The topics of faith, ethics, and religion are highly present in del Sol’s indirect adaptation. But del Sols utilizes identity and self-discovery to pave the way for her version of “Dante’s Inferno.” This neon-lit cocktail mix boozes the viewer up in a sip or two. It weaves the audience through strange, dark scenarios that make this descent fascinating and thought-provoking. Personal and collective demons appear through different manifestations of colorful, vibrant (and sometimes brooding) characters. Not only do they represent their trials and tribulations, but they also represent how they overcome them. These are poured over rains of purifying mental states and cleansing souls.
All that happens not in a fiery pit. This occurs in a dive bar that showers its customers in lust, boozes, tricky deals, and lost time. This world that Gala del Sol is building has beauty and darkness muddled together. Each setting (dive bars, underground motels, chapels) has its personality and sin attached to its walls and floors. Neon lights brighten the scenery, which cinematographer Sten Tadashi Olson beautifully captures in all its charisma and vividness. “Rains Over Babel” may have some clunky spots in its genre-bending techniques—possibly Gala del Sol’s love and admiration for the ’80s martial arts films got the best of her, using it as an exciting (albeit overused) transition for some narrative beats. Nevertheless, for the most part, this film keeps you tightly knit to the screen.
A Series of Eclectic Characters Lost in a Grungy, Punk World
“Rains Over Babel” follows a series of characters, lost souls in a grungy, punk world brooding in search of an escape or a chance in life. They are stuck in an array of events that send them downward to del Sol’s version of hell. The underbelly of this world has bondage-wearing, leather-strapped goons and power players roaming wild. They all work in favor of Lady Death or La Flaca (Saray Nohemi Rebolledo Ospino), the grim reaper that presides and controls Babel, a local dive bar where lost souls gamble years of their lives with her, daring to outwit her. A barkeep mixes the lost souls’ chosen elixirs. A mother does anything to save her dying daughter, even if it means sacrificing herself. A junkie looks for a second chance after an accidental overdose. Meanwhile, Dante himself owes Death a debt he can’t repay.
These are some of the lost souls that wander around. They meet each other in Babel. Whether by randomly convenient circumstances or by fault, most have lost years of their lives in a gamble to beat Death. (Less than a handful of people have done it successfully.) They venture through their respective journeys of liberation, identity, and freedom, connecting on slight occasions yet mostly exploring their morals, faith, and sexuality—their ways of devotion, expressions, and admiration. As in “Dante’s Inferno,” these journeys are the nine circles of hell. Some are individualized by the setting’s look, and others by their feel, atmosphere, and presence. Concurrently, these places can be brooding and sometimes more vibrant. Yet always with a unique style, giving the film plenty of personality and distinctiveness.
A Curious and Adventurous Film
“Dante’s Inferno” presents identity as a result of one’s individual choices and process of recognition and transformation. Alighieri does not mean that liberation—being in touch with your true self—is only escaping hell or the malevolent evil of sin. He more so sees it as coming to terms with your sins. In the case of “Rains Over Babel,” this band of sinners goes on these hectic travels to converge with their past traumas and wrongdoings as a form to be reborn into what they truly are and what they wanted to be in the first place. This is not divine redemption but getting free from the chains of society. They liberate themselves from these constraints.
Gala del Sol reimagines Dante’s ordeal by introducing contemporary concerns. These reflect many social and psychological issues that have been and continue to occur repeatedly. The best example is when a pastor’s son, in full drag, visits his father’s church to tell him who he is. Many other scenes, such as the aforementioned, have tons of impact. However, that specific scene does help tap into del Sol’s vision and reason for making “Rains Over Babel,” an expressionistic depiction of acceptance and identity. Gala del Sol’s feature stands out in the slate in a festival with many tonally similar features and lacks a sense of cinematic bravery and boldness. I hope her next feature is as curious and aesthetically adventurous as this one.
“Rains Over Babel” screened at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in the NEXT section of the festival.
