Review of La desconocida, thriller directed by Pablo Maqueda and based on the drama “Grooming” starring Manolo Solo and Lía Manzanares. Premieres June 9.
pablo maqueda ,dear werner) directs unknown womana dramatic thriller he co-wrote the screenplay Haijia Ji Viana And Paco BejeraTaking a later play titled “Grooming” as a starting point.
If on stage it was Antonio de la Torre and Nausicaa Bonin who gave life to the two main characters of the story, then on the big screen they are manolo solo ,30 coins, And lia manzanares ,midas favorite) which is in charge of giving us goosebumps, its concept has an unpleasant, uncomfortable and radical story that will not leave anyone indifferent.
as actively and passively announced with a marketing campaign intended to promote psychosis by Alfred Hitchcock, in unknown woman The script twists are significant, though the first and foremost of them seems somewhat premature, revealing information that would have been precious if it had been saved for a while.
The fine line between self-indulgent paraphilia and intentional crime
unknown woman introduces us to Leo, a man who dresses himself up on a date. He has arranged this in a public park with a 16-year-old girl named Carolina, with whom he has made contact via the Internet and, although he is chatting with her, his intentions soon become clear: it is Conversation is not what interests him.
As the story takes us deeper into the lives of these two people, we see how Leo begins to suspect that Carolina is not the confused and defenseless young woman he initially thought.
Is unknown woman believable movie? No. Is this a tape whose message can be used to prevent harmful behaviors such as cyberbullying or sexual exploitation of minors? neither. What about its intrinsic quality as a thriller? He finds his strong point in interpretations and the way he takes advantage of the space outside the ground, even if he tends to force things too much.
compared to manticore Seems almost mandatory, but if Carlos Vermut’s film was particularly simplistic when it came to emphasizing the subject matter he was talking about without showing it, the tools used by Maqueda here are a testimony to the information. are much richer with the reverse shot or sound as the main source.
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Given the flaws in the screenplay and the enduring need to make the viewer uncomfortable and disgusted, strenuous efforts must be made to “get out” of the story, the conclusion of which is artificially ambiguous.
it is likely that unknown woman It would have been more convincing as a short film to the extent that some of the metaphors don’t quite work (Alice in Wonderland, for example) and other paragraphs in the narrative are designed to delve into the psyche of these two people. They do not manage to change the outcome of the story or provide us with much light.
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Despite its duration, it leaves us with doubts about its depth and a sense of being unnecessarily prolonged. How is it possible that a pedophile is easier to understand (than to justify) rather than his victim? Who is this enigmatic stranger the title alludes to and what is his motivation?
Maqueda gives free rein to his cinephilia to pay homage to masters such as the aforementioned Hitchcock, Haneke or even more contemporary works hard candy, but its corruption part is subtracted from the proposition because the last arc is removed from the result. In the end, it turned out to be less original and provocative than it intended and left a bitter taste in the mouth.
The key to suspense, for Hitchcock, was to give the audience information that the character did not have. It made him want to jump off the chair to warn him and he knew what was about to fall on him. Here, on the contrary, it is up to the audience to fill in a lot of the gaps and often even part of what is left out.
assessment:
The Stranger has better intentions than the end results: it’s provocative and intense, but it also has plot inconsistencies and a very cumbersome visual style that only manages to annoy. This is one of those movies whose message is not at all clear as it uses a lot of artificial ambiguity.
the best:
Manolo Solo and Lia Manzanares’ performances, their dedication to their characters and their commitment to the film.
worst:
The film sheds its cards too quickly and has holes in the script. This is what happens when it comes to hating an audience.
