Stars: Pedro Casablanc, Víctor Clavijo, Ruth Díaz, Moisés Ruiz, Manuel Morón | Written and Directed by F. Javier Gutiérrez
Writer/director F. Javier Gutiérrez returned to his native Spain to make his third film La Espera, or, in English, The Wait. It’s a title that refers not just to the passage of time but to the ten hunting stands on the estate of Don Francisco. They are watched over by Eladio, who lives on the remote property with his wife Marcia, and their son, Floren (Moisés Ruiz).
At the start of the 1973 hunting season, he’s told by Don Carlos, Don Francisco’s right-hand man, to surreptitiously add three more. At first, he refuses, saying that would crowd the hunting parties and be unsafe due to the risk of crossfires. Eventually, he relents, a decision he soon regrets when Floren is killed in a freak accident leading to Marcia’s suicide.
Writer/director F. Javier Gutiérrez returned to his native Spain to make his third film La Espera, or, in English, The Wait. It’s a title that refers not just to the passage of time but to the ten hunting stands on the estate of Don Francisco. They are watched over by Eladio, who lives on the remote property with his wife Marcia, and their son, Floren (Moisés Ruiz).
At the start of the 1973 hunting season, he’s told by Don Carlos, Don Francisco’s right-hand man, to surreptitiously add three more. At first, he refuses, saying that would crowd the hunting parties and be unsafe due to the risk of crossfires. Eventually, he relents, a decision he soon regrets when Floren is killed in a freak accident leading to Marcia’s suicide.
- 9/29/2023
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
In his director’s statement for The Wait (La espera), F. Javier Gutiérrez describes his latest feature as a “slow-burn supernatural neo-western set in Spain in the 1970s.” That’s certainly an apt summary, but one that also underscores the movie’s main problem: It’s trying to be too many things at once, and by doing so amounts to less than the sum of its parts.
The Spanish filmmaker’s debut from 2008, Before the Fall, tried to combine a disaster flick with a home-invasion flick, yielding similarly sketchy results. In both cases, Gutiérrez showcases a keen sense of style but an inability, despite all the genre-jumping, to make something that feels truly original. World premiering at Oldenburg, with additional dates set for Sitges and Fantastic Fest, the film could provide decent streaming fodder for fans of international thrillers while finding a small theatrical audience at home in Spain.
During the rather languid opening half-hour,...
The Spanish filmmaker’s debut from 2008, Before the Fall, tried to combine a disaster flick with a home-invasion flick, yielding similarly sketchy results. In both cases, Gutiérrez showcases a keen sense of style but an inability, despite all the genre-jumping, to make something that feels truly original. World premiering at Oldenburg, with additional dates set for Sitges and Fantastic Fest, the film could provide decent streaming fodder for fans of international thrillers while finding a small theatrical audience at home in Spain.
During the rather languid opening half-hour,...
- 9/14/2023
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This scribe hosted last night's ninth annual Screamfest La Award Dinner (along with my lovely co-host Jonna Jackson) at Level 3 in Hollywood, and here's a rundown of those who received awards. (I want to personally thank Screamfest La founder Rachel Belofsky for honoring me with the task - she's asked me back for next year, and we'll be pulling out all the stops for that one).
Best Student Short: Else, directed by Thibaut Emin
Best Short: Prelude to Hell, Harry Doright
Best Editing: Before the Fall, editor Nacho Ruiz Capillas
Best Special Effects: The Revenant (review), director Kerry Prior
Best Makeup: The Revenant, director Kerry Prior
Best Cinematography: Before the Fall, Dp Miguel A. Mora
Best Screenplay: Hate Night, VJ Boyd & Justin Boyd
Best Musical Score: The House of the Devil, Jeff Grace
Best Actor: Before the Fall, Victor Clavijo
Best Actress: House of the Devil, Joceline Donahue
Best Director: Before the Fall,...
Best Student Short: Else, directed by Thibaut Emin
Best Short: Prelude to Hell, Harry Doright
Best Editing: Before the Fall, editor Nacho Ruiz Capillas
Best Special Effects: The Revenant (review), director Kerry Prior
Best Makeup: The Revenant, director Kerry Prior
Best Cinematography: Before the Fall, Dp Miguel A. Mora
Best Screenplay: Hate Night, VJ Boyd & Justin Boyd
Best Musical Score: The House of the Devil, Jeff Grace
Best Actor: Before the Fall, Victor Clavijo
Best Actress: House of the Devil, Joceline Donahue
Best Director: Before the Fall,...
- 10/26/2009
- by SeanD.
- DreadCentral.com
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