'The Elderly' Movie Review

The Elderly, from Spanish co-directors Raul Cerezo and Fernando Gonzalez Gomez, taps into a number of primal, deep-seated fears. Ideas of our bodies aging and betraying us touch on body horror; there’s the dread of losing our autonomy, in both a physical and mental capacity. It has something to say about how society values, or more accurately, doesn’t value the aged, attends to the looming specter of Spain’s fascist past, which may not be as far in the rearview as many believe, and even copes with the threat of climate catastrophe.

SIFF 2023: 'Irati' Capsule Review

Set in 778, director Paul Urkijo’s Irati follows a young man and woman tasked by a witch to travel deep into a strange, remote forest to retrieve a corpse and claim a birthright. Been there. 

Fantastic Fest 2022: 'The Antares Paradox' Movie Review

Is there intelligent alien life out there? It’s a question that’s dogged humanity since we first looked up at the stars. And it’s also the central question in the life of Alexandra Baeza (Andrea Trepat), the protagonist and central character of Luis Tinoco’s sci-fi thriller The Antares Paradox. But the film also digs into the personal costs of the protagonist’s singular fixation as she struggles to make an impossible choice between fulfilling her lifelong dream and confronting a brutal familial loss.

'Cross The Line' (2020) Movie Review

Meek and mild-mannered, Dani (Mario Casas), the lead of Spanish director David Victori’s existential thriller, Cross the Line (No Mataras), is the kind of character who doesn’t act. The world, those around him, and surrounding circumstances simply push him forward. He cares for his elderly father, but when the old man passes away, his sister, Laura (Elisabeth Larena), books him an around-the-world trip, something he always dreamed of. The eve of his departure, a chance encounter with a wild tattoo artist, Mila (Milena Smit), leads to a violent encounter with deadly consequences and deep wounds. 

'Jesus Shows You The Way To The Highway' Trailer: Strap In For The Craziest Damn Thing You've Ever Seen

With a title like Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway, you know you’re in for not-your-average-movie. But even if you’re familiar with writer/director Miguel Llanso’s apocalyptic, magical-realistic adventure Crumbs, you’re still not prepared for this film. It’s finally getting released and you should watch this trailer to get just a slice of what lies in store for you.

NBFF 2019: 'The Incredible Shrinking Wknd' Movie Review

The living-one-day-over-and-over again conceit has been played for comedy (Groundhog Day), sci-fi (Edge of Tomorrow), and horror (Happy Death Day). But regardless of the genre set up, or task the characters must accomplish, they inevitably use this rinse-dry-repeat recipe as a tool of introspection, to learn about themselves as much as they learn about the external world, and as a method of change. In that regard, Spanish writer-director Jon Mikel Caballero’s The Incredible Shrinking Wknd follows suit, though it puts its own unique spin on the formula. 

Fantasia 2019: 'Jesus Shows You The Way To The Highway' Movie Review

With a title like Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway, you probably expect to something a bit outside of the mainstream. Also, considering it comes from Miguel Llansó, the writer/director behind 2015’s equally off-kilter Crumbs, strange things are in store. And Jesus doesn’t disappoint, combining science fiction, cold war spy thrillers, superheroes, Afro-futurism, and enough surreal flourishes to make Jodorowsky’s head spin.