Welcome to the first of the chronicles that we will dedicate day after day to the 55th edition of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival. we start

‘Darkness‘ – At nightfall, a family barricades themselves in their house, petrified by the terror coming from the woods. This is the suggestive starting point of this film which takes place at the end of the Kosovo war. A post-war drama disguised as a horror film… or is it not the same thing? Duan Milić plays very well with doubt about what is and isn’t real in this tense and compelling story that manages to convey fear, anxiety and turmoil in equal measure. A somewhat hasty climax attenuates the impact of a group which, in sum, lacks the final touch to be a remarkable work. *******

‘Zalava‘ – Does the devil exist? Iranian Arsalan Amiri plays with the viewer’s doubts as he confronts a police officer with an alleged exorcist in front of God-fearing villagers who seem taken from ‘Nobody Lives Here’. A slightly irregular film in tone and rhythm, and in which, because of cultural differences, you have to have some faith. Differences that make us doubt, in particular, the seriousness of what we see… or not. A story of mass hysteria, paranoia and tradition that above all maintains our curiosity to see if things will end well or badly. *******

‘Say goodbye to Yang‘ – Second film by Kogonada, responsible for ‘Columbus’. A refined production of A24 that is interesting at all times. It is? Yes and No: The film works conceptually, but narratively, it doesn’t quite stick. Despite feeling (too) comfortable with herself, the story’s heavy construction fails to extract potential which, to put it in a way, gets bogged down in her good intentions. Love what he offers, but not how he offers it. Consequently, his emotional approach is received with a muted coldness. ******

‘Greedy flow‘ – A film by Peter Strickland, that of ‘In Fabric’. I’m not sure he understood it. Or what did I understand. Or that there is something to understand. But I couldn’t stop paying attention to it and it wouldn’t have bothered me if it had lasted longer. It’s… warped, spunky, libertine cinema that wallows in its own eccentricity, proud of its status as a dumb and/or clever oddity for a select audience. Dreams are made in a place like Sitges where people like Strickland walk out the front door. With two balls. And on its own merits. *******

Continue…

By Juan Pairet Iglesias

@Wanchopex