Film has the power to put us into the stories and perspectives of other people we don’t know or might not even get to know. But also Has the potential to be a weapon used against us by filmmakers I desire and, hopefully, the ability to probe rough terrain and try to reach deep reflections. It is the subject of discussion to what extremes it can go, but the truth is that there should not be if it is done with enough taste.
It should be prioritized more that the fiction is made ethically than the content itself is governed by rigorous moral standards. When freed from the latter, it can touch concerns that we would not contemplate otherwise. Sometimes that is more cinematic than muscled displays with the camera, and that is why ‘Mantícore’ deserves to be considered one of the best movies of last year.
designing monsters
The latest work by the unclassifiable Carlos Vermut, an authentic free verse within Spanish cinema, is now available to watch on Movistar+ and will be shown on the premiere channel. A golden opportunity to enjoy one of those special movies without fear of launching without looking to see if there is a safety net, which touches on thorny issues that keep her from possible recognition in prizes such as the Goya although she undoubtedly deserves them.
Nacho Sánchez plays a developer in the video game industry, who works on an ambitious project where he shapes various creepy creatures and monsters. He seems fit for the job, as he he himself could enter the category of monster for his dark and secret desires. While she tries not to be known, she meets the character of zoe steinwith whom he develops a special relationship that could give him the opportunity to give up that dark part of himself.
The film is gruesome as hell, despite the fact that Vermut’s tone and production couldn’t seem more neutral and aseptic. However, find just the perfect angle to approach a story like this, following the perspective of this disturbing protagonist without justifying anything at all. Nor does it try to be moralizing about our attitude as a society on the subject, although it does raise questions about how a monster starts to be one out of misunderstanding.
‘Manticore’: lesson in discomfort
It is a most uncomfortable film, and not only because of how the relationship between these two characters is adulterated (for lack of a better word) by secrets that are not revealed, but because the author has a way to stir up this tension against the viewer. . It is you who ends up between a rock and a hard place with the movieuneasily watching what happens but trapped by it.
Vermouth continues to draw on many daring, art-house European film references, but in ‘Mantícora’ he feels more liberated than ever rather than anchored by them. His meticulous storytelling becomes captivating and impactful, even if the movements and action are utterly minimal. It is a work that confirms it as one of the most interesting filmmakers of our cinema.
In Espinof | The best Spanish films of 2022