In Netflix have been very ready to take advantage of the growing popularity of Paddy Considine after his unforgettable performance as Viserys in ‘The House of the Dragon’, since the platform has added ‘Forest of Shadows’ to its catalog, a distressing thriller where the actor is involved in another inevitable conflict.
Why is it worth getting back?
‘Forest of Shadows’ is also the first feature film of Koldo Serra, Spanish director also responsible for the notable ’70 binladens’ and who has participated in series such as ‘La casa de papel’, ‘Caminantes’ or the long-awaited adaptation of ‘Reina Roja’. Already here he shows his talent for tense situations in a film very indebted to the emblematic ‘Straw Dogs’.
At the time, the most striking aspect of its cast was the presence in it of Gary Oldman, but already then a Considine was beginning to emerge, who had left good samples of his talent long before the popular series that we can see on HBO Max. Here he more than complies as a faint-hearted man who tries to dodge the conflict until it reaches a point where he ends up exploding. Of course, the one that shines the most in the cast is Luis Homar in the most unpredictable character of the function.
One of the great virtues of ‘Bosque de sombras’ is its setting work, both when it comes to recreating that rural climate in which everything gets complicated when a few days of relaxation for English couples in the middle of Basque nature leads to a confrontation against some inhabitants of the area. Serra’s fluid camera movements and effective use of the txalaparta in the soundtrack help fuel that sense of growing angst that dominates the performance.
Of course, ‘Forest of shadows’ is also a fairly dry film and that he takes things slowly. Do not expect a vibrant rhythm here, because instead it is committed to a slower pace to try to make everything fit naturally. It is true that there are certain problems typical of a first film, which, arguably, is not too new and that the character of Aitana Sanchez-Gijon it is very blurred, but the virtues more than make up for its limitations.
If you don’t have Netflix‘Forest of Shadows’ is also available on Amazon Prime Video -although you can only see the dubbed version there-, on Filmin and on Flixolé.