A couple that is trying to have kids stumbles upon a young girl with partial mutism, and the mystery about who she is and where she came from begins.
Flawed but gripping! Without wasting any time, it cuts right to it. At first, it seems quite disjointed, as if writer Isabel Peña and writer/director Ignacio Tatay rush to finish each sequence. But then, the fast-paced editing moves the story forward even faster, as if you are watching it in fast forward. And as if that’s not enough, every single shot’s internal rhythm – mostly medium or close-up tracking shots – seems so fast because everyone is moving fast. I’m sure intensifying the narrative was the reason behind those decisions, but honestly, my eyes started tripping.
OK, there is some excellent news as well, though. The story itself, based on actual events, is brilliant. Peña has developed an original, suspenseful, and scary plot (the girl’s appearance out of nowhere) over a realistic and dramatic subplot (the insufferable pain of not being able to have kids) that has been psychologically and physically ripping people apart since the dawn of time. Tatay should have paced it more patiently, leaving the shots to “breathe” more and the audience to “absorb” the happiness and sadness, to get carried away by the suspense, and to be able to tell the difference.
An impactful and intense climax definitely deserves your time and attention. What’s more, the wonderful Elena Anaya (Paula) does an incredible job as a woman with a maternal instinct who would do anything to protect someone as if she were hers. Pablo Molinero (Simón) also beams an underlying sorrowful darkness next to her.
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Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!
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