Dream Wired
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop
No Result
View All Result
Dream Wired
No Result
View All Result
Home Movie

F. Javier Gutiérrez’s Moody Spanish Genre-Jumper – The Hollywood Reporter

rmtsa by rmtsa
September 14, 2023
in Movie
0
F. Javier Gutiérrez’s Moody Spanish Genre-Jumper – The Hollywood Reporter
74
SHARES
1.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


You might also like

‘Birds of Prey’ Almost Included an Iconic Batman Villain

Charlie Day Interested, Had Conversations About It

James Gunn Teases His SUPERMAN “Follow-Up” Film and Hints at a Mysterious New DCU Series — GeekTyrant

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.

The Wait

The Bottom Line

Solid technique in search of a sturdier story.

Venue: Oldenburg Film FestivalCast: Victor Clavijo, Ruth Díaz, Moisés Ruiz, Luis Callejo, Manuel MorónDirector, screenwriter: F. Javier Gutiérrez

1 hour 38 minutes

During the rather languid opening half-hour, The Wait introduces us to Eladio (Victor Clavijo), a disheveled hunter who takes a job guarding the massive Andalusian estate of landowner Don Francisco (Manuel Morón). He brings along his wife, Marcia (Ruth Díaz), and son, Floren (Moisés Ruiz), setting up a new life for the family on a desolate ranch that Don Francisco lends out to hunters so they can chase down wild boar.

The “neo-western” vibe is present from the start, with cinematographer Miguel Ángel Mora capturing the sunbaked Spanish landscapes in elegant wides, then pulling in for extreme close-ups to focus on Eladio and his son as they practice shooting together.

That vibe, however, doesn’t last long. A freak accident results in Floren’s death, driving his mother to suicide and setting his father on a course of rampant alcoholism during which he not only experiences strange visions, but begins uncovering all sorts of gory clues — slaughtered chickens, a goat’s head buried in the dirt, a human toenail in a bowl of beef stew, scraps of clothing wrapped in barbed wire — that lead him to believe this may all be the devil’s work.  

Thus the “supernatural” part, which takes over much of the second half of The Wait, but also leaves the viewer in the dust. Gutiérrez never manages to establish an interesting main character — Eladio is a man of few words, but also of few thoughts or feelings beyond grief — and so we’re never invested enough in his plight when all the horror stuff starts happening.

Sometimes it feels like the director is improvising as he goes along, throwing in twists for the sake of it, with a whole subplot involving backcountry voodoo that’s never remotely credible or scary. He also fails to take advantage of the time setting — there’s a lot to say about fascist-ruled Spain in the 70s — which seems to be there merely for aesthetic purposes, allowing for lots of neutral color tones and washed-out vintage costumes.

Despite the narrative snags, the director reveals a certain command of style and tone, especially when staging the film’s handful of set-pieces. Favoring fixed shots and few cuts over fast-paced handheld confusion — this is the “slow-burn” aspect — he gives a clear grammar to the wordless action, making it much more legible than the plot itself.

Gutiérrez has already made one foray into Hollywood, helming the universally panned Rings back in 2017. With any luck, The Wait, which does have the merit of being well-made, will allow him to take on something more ambitious, and hopefully more convincing, there at some point in the future.



Source link

Tags: GenreJumperGutiérrezsHollywoodJavierMoodyReporterSpanish
Share30Tweet19
rmtsa

rmtsa

Recommended For You

‘Birds of Prey’ Almost Included an Iconic Batman Villain

by rmtsa
August 23, 2025
0
‘Birds of Prey’ Almost Included an Iconic Batman Villain

Harley Quinn almost went up against a very different villain in her film Birds of Prey.In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Birds of Prey star and producer...

Read more

Charlie Day Interested, Had Conversations About It

by rmtsa
August 23, 2025
0
Charlie Day Interested, Had Conversations About It

Though Charlie Day and Jennifer Aniston‘s characters were often at odds in the Horrible Bosses films, they’re both aligned in wanting a third film in the R-rated comedy...

Read more

James Gunn Teases His SUPERMAN “Follow-Up” Film and Hints at a Mysterious New DCU Series — GeekTyrant

by rmtsa
August 23, 2025
0
James Gunn Teases His SUPERMAN “Follow-Up” Film and Hints at a Mysterious New DCU Series — GeekTyrant

James Gunn has been cooking up some big plans for the future of the DCU, and while Superman continues to fly high at the box office, the filmmaker...

Read more

12 Forgotten 2005 Movies That Deserve to Be Rediscovered

by rmtsa
August 23, 2025
0
12 Forgotten 2005 Movies That Deserve to Be Rediscovered

It’s hard to believe 2005 was 20 years ago.I remember 2005. I remember seeing Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith on the big screen. I could tell...

Read more

Kobe Bryant Movie in Works at Warner Bros., Focusing on NBA Draft

by rmtsa
August 23, 2025
0
Kobe Bryant Movie in Works at Warner Bros., Focusing on NBA Draft

A film project centered around NBA superstar Kobe Bryant‘s journey to the Los Angeles Lakers has landed at Warner Bros., The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Alex Sohn and...

Read more
Next Post
Ralph Says Drew Sidora Asked Him to “Sleep in Her Room”

Ralph Says Drew Sidora Asked Him to “Sleep in Her Room”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Browse by Category

  • Celebrity
  • Comics
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • Music
  • TV
  • Uncategorized

CATEGORIES

  • Celebrity
  • Comics
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • Music
  • TV
  • Uncategorized
No Result
View All Result

Recent News

  • ‘Birds of Prey’ Almost Included an Iconic Batman Villain
  • Emily in Paris Resumes Filming 2 Days After Assistant Director’s Death
  • The “Protection Collection” For Your Sanity

Copyright © 2023 DramaWired.
DramaWired is a content aggregator and not responsible for the content of external sites.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop

Copyright © 2023 DramaWired.
DramaWired is a content aggregator and not responsible for the content of external sites.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In