Under the Volcano (1984)

Against a background of war breaking out in Europe and the Mexican fiesta Day of Death, we are taken through one day in the life of Geoffrey Firmin, a British consul living in alcoholic disrepair and obscurity in a small southern Mexican town in 1939. The consul's self-destructive behaviour, perhaps a metaphor for a menaced civilization, is a source of perplexity and sadness to his nomadic, idealistic half-brother, Hugh, and his ex-wife, Yvonne, who has returned with hopes of healing Geoffrey and their broken marriage.

Genres: Drama

What to watch after Under the Volcano

• The Unforgiven (1960) — John Huston directed both
• Moulin Rouge (1952) — John Huston directed both
• The Dead (1987) — John Huston directed both
• Under the Sand (2000) — Same subject: husband wife relationship
• Stromboli (1950) — Same feel: painful, dramatic
• Head in the Clouds (2004) — Same feel: painful, dramatic