Since signing up to my first online film festival in 2020,I've had the chance to catch a number of stunning Horror films from Argentina. Looking for a title to double bill with When the Screaming Starts (2021-also reviewed) at FrightFest, I decided to go in search of a shadow from a cat.
Note:Review contains some plot details.
View on the film:
Playing the type of character which has been a staple archetype of his straight to DVD career, Danny Trejo subverts all expectations with a surprisingly subtle performance as bodyguard Sombra, who Trejo has express sensitive romantic feelings to drag queens who view/ treat him like a returning hero, whilst he tries to hold Emma from digging into her family secrets.
Wrapped in a protected blanket by her family and their loyal servants, Maite Lanata gives an incredibly enticing performance as Emma, whose youthful innocence is used by Lanata to thread an enticing curiosity as she chips away at the perfect household image to uncover why her family have cut themselves off from the outside world.
Presenting a rosy red apple farm where the audience are introduced to Emma's family, co-writer (with Griselda Sanchez and Gustavo Lencina)/ director Jose Maria Cicala unveils a mesmerising feature film debut, which sinks Emma into a descending surreal Horror mood with grotesque Fantasy stylisation, as Cicala uncoils in brimming with colour dissolves and elegant panning shots the façade of the peaceful life Emma has on the farm, which hides the metallic greens and fisheye lens under the skin of her family.
Going onto the farm with a welcoming comedic tone, the screenplay by Sanchez, Lencina and Cicala chillingly paint everything as being just that bit too perfect, which the writers open up to horror as Emma goes down the rabbit hole uncovering the reasons why her absent mum is only mentioned in mutterings, and the hard line her dad takes in no modern technology being allowed, as the family farm is covered by a shadow of the cat.
Note:Review contains some plot details.
View on the film:
Playing the type of character which has been a staple archetype of his straight to DVD career, Danny Trejo subverts all expectations with a surprisingly subtle performance as bodyguard Sombra, who Trejo has express sensitive romantic feelings to drag queens who view/ treat him like a returning hero, whilst he tries to hold Emma from digging into her family secrets.
Wrapped in a protected blanket by her family and their loyal servants, Maite Lanata gives an incredibly enticing performance as Emma, whose youthful innocence is used by Lanata to thread an enticing curiosity as she chips away at the perfect household image to uncover why her family have cut themselves off from the outside world.
Presenting a rosy red apple farm where the audience are introduced to Emma's family, co-writer (with Griselda Sanchez and Gustavo Lencina)/ director Jose Maria Cicala unveils a mesmerising feature film debut, which sinks Emma into a descending surreal Horror mood with grotesque Fantasy stylisation, as Cicala uncoils in brimming with colour dissolves and elegant panning shots the façade of the peaceful life Emma has on the farm, which hides the metallic greens and fisheye lens under the skin of her family.
Going onto the farm with a welcoming comedic tone, the screenplay by Sanchez, Lencina and Cicala chillingly paint everything as being just that bit too perfect, which the writers open up to horror as Emma goes down the rabbit hole uncovering the reasons why her absent mum is only mentioned in mutterings, and the hard line her dad takes in no modern technology being allowed, as the family farm is covered by a shadow of the cat.