Welcome to the third of the chronicles that we will dedicate day after day to the 57th edition of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival. 'The devil's bath' – A woman becomes depressed in rural Austria in the 18th century. This is in summary the new film by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, a drama that they insist on positioning and underlining as if it were a folkloric horror film. Yes, and no. Its prologue could be, but the rest of the film, a kind of extended version of said prologue, not so much… although relating one thing to the other is of course not a coincidence. The speech is recognized and the intentions are admitted, but Fiala and Franz develop their thesis during two long and heavy hours of footage that make this drama effectively long and heavy. By mere recidivism and repetitive effort where in the end it is more what one wants to see than what is really told: That a woman becomes depressed in rural Austria in the 18th century. End. **** 'ick' – Who would have thought 20 years ago that the person responsible for 'Torque' was going to become something like the North American version of Edgar Wright? 'Ick' is another irresistible and crazy mix between satire, high school cinema and science fiction in the style of 'Bloody Punishment'. Okay, it's not perfect; In fact, it is very unstable and full of ups and downs, to even seem to be making a comeback on the fly… but this cross between 'The Blob' and 'The Faculty' for the Tik Tok generation is so unexpected, stupid and rushed that this becomes its main argument: A shameless and highly enjoyable chaos as absurd as it is free of restraints that an unleashed Joseph Kahn directs as if he were still a capricious, mischievous and volatile teenager partying until dawn. ******* 'Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust' – The best thing we can say about an animated film like Ishan Shukla's debut film is that, at a certain point, we stop paying attention to the technique and let ourselves be carried away by it. The Indian filmmaker proposes a visual look with a lot of personality that nevertheless ends up engulfing the film itself, lacking a script as solid and robust as its otherwise inexpressive animation. It is noticeable in that sense that it starts from a previous short film, giving the sensation of being a forced expansion that is very clear about what it wants to convey but not so much how to do it. Thus, we are left with a film that is visually striking but confusing on a narrative level that ends up mired in that bitter no-man's zone between respect and indifference. ****** 'Escape from the 21st Century' – Li Yang's solo debut could be described, as soon as possible, as a cross between the Edgar Wright of 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' and the cinema of Stephen Chow. With its same pros and cons, with the love for the absurd and excess as an idolized way of being and life. So much so that its somewhat childish creativity can become tiring, and even the film seems to end up getting tired of itself at more than one point. And its impetus and frenzy is such that it is difficult to maintain constant intensity and fun from beginning to end; especially, when we talk about a spasmodic and multi-generic nonsense that covers more than it can handle in a way that is as jovial and friendly as it is exhausting. ******* 'The substance' – If you respect the balance, what could go wrong? It cannot be said that Coralie Fargeat's second film surprises on a plot level, as, without going any further, neither did the first. But like 'Revenge', yeah 'The substance' It works not because it surprises, but because of the aggressive conviction and corrosive forcefulness with which it embraces exactly what is expected. Even despite such a challenging, excessive (and unforgettable) climax in which Fargeat almost lost the film. Almost but not, since like 'Revenge' its energetic solidity elevates it above its condition of “exploitation cinema”, in this case of “body horror” to become an uncomfortable work in a way that is as exciting as it is iconic. for that yes, who throws himself into her arms with the same Cronenbergian determination as her. ********
