Penumbra

A very suspenseful little movie, that might not go exactly the way you expect it to go. At least that rings true with my expectations and I was happy it had some surprises up its sleeves. Also I loved the ending. I think you can interpret things into it (but that might only be true with me of course).

I loved the actress in it. She is so OTT, that of course she also might spark up other feelings. But that's the way she is (her character) and the actress really relished in it. Great performance by her and the other cast members of course. You might feel the story has inconsistencies and is not true, which will make the movie unbearable of course. I can tell you that I didn't have that sort of problem. I really loved the movie with all its little twists and mistakes it had

As in the previous Bogliano's film -Sudor Frío-, Penumbra's Script is simply horrible. The movie is boring, and in the first 30 or 40 minutes, with the only exception of a flawless attack scene at the first minute of the movie, it seems more like a bad "artie" film in which nothing happens than a Horror/Thriller/Fantasy movie. During the entire movie the dialogs are extremely long (aaaaghhhhh, extreeeemelyyyy long!!!), expository, and unnatural. The attempt to keep mystery and reveal the plot essence gradually failed totally, obtaining a very unattractive and dull development of the events.

The acting of "Berta" Muñiz is awful and the one of Camila Bordonaba is poor too. Different is the case of Arnaldo Andre's performance, but his character is not exploited enough in the film. At this point is obvious that Bogliano believes acting is not important in Horror films.

Like in Sudor Frío, in Penumbra Bogliano underestimates and miss the erotic aspect, so appropriate at Horror Thrillers. Penumbra has a Plot linked with a Cult-like small group, the main characters are most of the time inside the same apartment, and above all it's an empty-plot bad- filmed silly movie, so some scenes of dark, nasty sex and erotic playing would have been absolutely suitable.

It's important to stress that (unlike the rest of Bogliano's works) Penumbra is not such a Horror movie, but more close to a tepid film about people settling a rent contract for an apartment.

So many movies get great reviews on here like The Witch and Heredity. Glowing reviews, the future of horror I am told, but those movies were awful. This movie only has 11 user reviews and it was very enjoyable. The acting and story were both good, but this movie barely gets any play... sad.

PENUMBRA is a waste of time film, one of those I saw in the schedules late at night. It was marked as a horror movie so I thought I'd give it a go, but I wish I hadn't: this is a worthless, amateurish film with barely any plot, full of dull dialogue that seems to have been ad-libbed by an uninterested cast.

This no-budget movie involves an unpleasant estate agent who spends half the running time on her mobile phone - that never makes for great entertainment. Mild interest is evoked when she's attacked early on by a homeless man, but this sub-plot doesn't seem to go anywhere. Instead, the estate agent has to deal with a number of bizarre characters who are congregating inside an apartment she has available for rent.

PENUMBRA is a slow, slow movie in which very little of substance actually happens. The background of a solar eclipse is interesting but nothing happens with it. The horror is limited to the last scene and when it comes it's so predictable that you wonder what you were waiting for all that time. The acting is also very basic, but the biggest problem is with the writing/directing partnership, which falls flat all the while. Somebody show these guys how to make a real movie!

Penumbra is categorized as horror but in actuality, it is more than that. It is a combination of thriller, comedy, surrealism and mystery, more than a classic horror. The mislabeling of the film as a horror movie could turn off some viewers who are waiting for creepy "ghost-horror," but only get occasional and cheap jump scares. Nevertheless, if you're just like me with no expectations in mind, this movie is a massive treat.

The best strength of this film is its unpredictability. No one could easily predict how the movie will end, what are the motives of the guests, what is Marga's true state of mind (is she crazy?), etc. The answers will just pop up with or without any premonitions.

Another aspect of the film I like is its color-grading. The color-grade looks like vintage and it suits the location of the old rickety apartment building. It also adds to the lore of the mysterious film. On the other hand, Penumbra did not shy away for comedy. Some comedic scenes really made me laugh, as executed nicely adds another element to the film which in the surface looks one-sided.

Meanwhile, the plot twists in the end are very good at first glance. It offers shock value that could haunt the viewers and leave them puzzled as some of the questions have not been solved. Unfortunately, those plot twists and unpredictability lacks foreshadowing, which in turn decreases its overall impact in the plot itself, appearing that some early scenes in the film is just a waste of time.

The movie's unpredictability is also a double edge sword that could become a liability as there are no significant storyline that the plot will go through except for the main one (about the renting of the apartment). Another problem is, the pacing of the movie is too slow, leaving the main storyline to be forsaken at the tedious middle section of the film if the viewers dozed off.

The slow pacing could be salvaged by good characterization but this film offers nothing about this aspect as well. The only interesting character with true traits is Marga and the beggar, all the other ones seem to just be put there to fulfill the plot twist in the end. Lastly, I'm not a fan of some character's acting especially Marga. It looks sloppy to me and her actions and manners are over-emphasized in some scenes. But I will not list these acting as a negative as it could be viewers' preference.

So, all in all, Penumbra is an amateurish film littered with observable flaws from characterization to pacing. The unpredictable plot is somewhat of a saving grace but its lack of foreshadowing is letting down the full potential of the story to be unleashed perfectly. Despite of this, the film could still look magnificent and entertaining at surface level, if and only if you weather the storm of its slow progression. I thought at first that Penumbra is a garbage horror movie, but once I remove the lens of being a critic, I've got nothing more to feel but enjoyment.