The Spanish thriller, The Hidden Face (La cara oculta),
actually has some good things going for it.
At the beginning we think we are in
a Gothic tale of Adrián, a
young Spanish conductor (Quim Qutiérrez) whose
girlfriend Belen (Clara Lago) leaves him after posting a video saying for him
not to try to find her. He gets drunk, goes to a local bar, and takes up with Fabiana (Martina
Garcia), a waitress. Things get pretty quickly, with lots of
passion and nudity.
As the D.A.’s office
investigates Belen’s disappearance, they find more and more evidence that Adrián is an unfaithful lover.
The conductor is working in Bogata and renting a huge
mysterious modern house with many secrets. Every time it rains (which seems
pretty much every day), the lights go out. The German Shepherd house dog sees things we don't. When Fabiana takes a bath, strange
things happen to the water and she becomes convinced the house has ghosts that talk to
her.
Has Adrián killed
Belen? Is Fabiana crazy, or are there truly strange things happening in the
bathroom? All kinds of questions pop up and then suddenly halfway through, when
we think we have the answers—and clever answers they are--all dealing with German secret bunkers and places to hide. But this thriller doesn’t take us to places we expect. Just who are the victims
and what happens to them keeps us centered for the rest of the film.
I’d put this on a list to see just to be entertained by the
surprises.
The Hidden Face (2011) *** (on Netflix streaming)
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