It's difficult for me to review a Spanish film... in English. That's the thing with cultural imperialism, I guess: it's a symptom of how many projects tend do disappear or be disregarded only because they've been done in a language other to English. Apart from my opinion on how IMDb.com works, this is a perfect introduction to this film. Many of the comments not only on this website but around the net compare this with the typical Hollywood blockbuster on every level: acting, special effects, screen writing, budget, etc... It doesn't escape my attention that I'm doing the same right now.
Make no mistake: this is not an independent project. Official Spanish cinema has to watch its money a lot, and this film does that. Probably, money likes at the core of many creative decisions taken while preparing this film. There is a very small group of performers, and the sci-fi gets lost in so many natural landscapes. There is something abstract about the mystery: there is no enemy, no psycho-killer which has decided to terminate with everybody, it's just a kind of psychological desperation which causes people to fade into oblivion and just disappear. Specially ridiculous was the case of the biker who just fades onto thin air, leaving the wheels of her bike moving. So no blood or difficult stunts to perform, probably less repetition on the performers' sides when filming. The only scene in which x-effects are visible is in the scene of the fallen plane. They're static, though. Only part of the scenery.
What remains is a slow-pace which reminded me of The Sixth Sense, and a plot which leaves plenty of questions to decide on part of the audience. For all that, I liked it to a certain extent. I've seen much worse, but also much better. It's a good effort by Spanish cinema industry, at a certain levels much better that the typical Hollywood cr*p which rules the box office.
Make no mistake: this is not an independent project. Official Spanish cinema has to watch its money a lot, and this film does that. Probably, money likes at the core of many creative decisions taken while preparing this film. There is a very small group of performers, and the sci-fi gets lost in so many natural landscapes. There is something abstract about the mystery: there is no enemy, no psycho-killer which has decided to terminate with everybody, it's just a kind of psychological desperation which causes people to fade into oblivion and just disappear. Specially ridiculous was the case of the biker who just fades onto thin air, leaving the wheels of her bike moving. So no blood or difficult stunts to perform, probably less repetition on the performers' sides when filming. The only scene in which x-effects are visible is in the scene of the fallen plane. They're static, though. Only part of the scenery.
What remains is a slow-pace which reminded me of The Sixth Sense, and a plot which leaves plenty of questions to decide on part of the audience. For all that, I liked it to a certain extent. I've seen much worse, but also much better. It's a good effort by Spanish cinema industry, at a certain levels much better that the typical Hollywood cr*p which rules the box office.