My take on it is that he wasn't real from the beginning, but maybe there's some argument for his definitely not being real after the cave in. As for how he would have survived, that and how conveniently he turned up is what makes me think that he wasn't ever (during this movie) real.
shareAs this is losely based on Dante's Inferno I'd guess La Taupe serves as some kind of Virgil, the one who guides Dante through Hell.
shareI thought that La Taupe was more of a Charon because going through the underwater tunnel was being interpreted as the River Styx and his payment was taking Souxie.
shareInteresting interpretation.
Also he could have been real up until the underwater part... although his whole demeanor and guide through the tunnels seemed supernatural.
If everyone was faced with something they couldn't forgive themselves about, then maybe La Taupe was there for Souxie? It's clear that they're more personal. He says that no one came looking for him when he disappeared, "not even Souxie". Maybe she couldn't forgive herself about that and that's why she died because of him
shareI have nothing to contribute to the general discussion of the thread, but I really wanted to say that the actor who played this character was really, really good. He was the scariest thing about the movie, IMO.
Bravo, Cosme Castro! It's a shame I'll probably never see anything else featuring him.