You Are Not Me

Fantastic Fest 2023 Greetings again from the darkness. Every year, Christmas is voted both the happiest AND most stressful time of the year. The reason why seems pretty obvious and is encapsulated in one word: family. Co-writers and co-directors Marisa Crespo and Moises Romera seize on this phenomenon by having Aitana and her wife Gabi, along with their recently adopted baby boy, make a surprise visit to Aitana's parents' home on Christmas Eve ... or if you prefer the word used by the parents, it's an 'unannounced' visit.

From the moment the front door is answered, Aitana (and us) notices the cold and strange reception. After being away for three years, she expected long hugs and oohs and ahhs. Instead, her wheelchair bound brother, Saul, is the only one happy to see her, and the curious vibe includes meeting Nadia. The layers take a while to peel back, but what's apparent is that Nadia has replaced Aitana as the daughter, and this includes sleeping in her bed, wearing her clothes, and being doted on by the parents.

The atmosphere shifts from odd to downright bizarre in the evening as a formal dinner party confuses Aitana. Is she in danger? Is her baby in danger? Is Nadia a threat? What is up with her parents' odd behavior? There are teases of the supernatural, demon worship, and a culinary cult. Does any of this play out? Does Aitana's nightmare come true? The filmmakers expertly toss out many questions, while we as viewers are reminded of ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968) and THE WICKER MAN (1973) as the set-up progresses. No one would describe this as a typical Christmas flick (although there is an Old Nick); however, it's an impressive production that keeps us guessing.

Saw this at the Imagine film festival 2023 in Amsterdam. Very tense and very surprising due to many unexpected turns of events it offers. From the start, the story could go in many directions, none of which seem actually pursued while the story develops, so surprise after surprise can be expected.

Ample plot elements are available. Take the lesbian couple bringing a "surprise" visit to the family of one of them, after losing contact three years ago. They carry an adopted black baby with them. The former room of the daughter proves occupied by a woman who is treated as a replacement, who also wears her clothes. Many things happen before and during the Christmas meal. Remarkably, an aunt and uncle who attended each and every foregoing year, were not invited. Instead, non-family members are welcomed as VIP guests.

Feeling alienated and unwelcome is the main observation. Near the finale I had reminiscences (incorrect, in hindsight) of Get Out (Jordan Peele 2017), possible misled by the black boy they brought along (casted a black baby here on purpose?). I was wrong, as developments went in a totally different direction. I cannot reveal anything further without giving away the ending.

When leaving the venue, I scored 5/5 for the audience award. All in all: tense, unexpected developments, ample ingredients to keep us guessing how the story would proceed, and finally surprising us with a totally different outcome. Sufficiently complex but not overly convoluted.

Short review: 'You're Not Me' is a Spanish horror/thriller/mystery that I was lucky enough to attend the premiere of. It's a film that wants to put you in its lead character's shoes. It wants you to understand her frustration and bewilderment at the situation. So any frustration you as a viewer are finding while watching, just know that was the intention.

I love the ending of this film. It was worth the wait. I was so eager for the film to commit itself to whichever ending path it went down, and it did just that. While this isn't a perfect film, I do think most will find more than enough enjoyment in it one way or the other. 6/10.

Meet-the-parents horror films have created their own sub-genre. Since recent favourites like Get Out and Ready or Not, many films have filtered the real anxiety of meeting a couple's family through genre violence. But the Spanish thriller YOU ARE NOT ME takes a twist on this classic and shows us that the greatest terror is not meeting your partner's parents, but that you've stopped knowing yours and it's your partner who seems to know them best.

Aitana returns home for Christmas with her partner and the baby they have adopted and discovers that her parents have replaced her with a stranger... It's hard to go on without revealing more details but, as it moves towards an (unsurprisingly for genre fans) inevitable ending, the thematic play becomes richer, capturing the pain of familial rejection. The journey is very worthy and the epilogue is memorable.

For me, the biggest problem with the movie is that it's way too predictable. The final twist/explanation is set up throughout the movie in a way that makes it glaringly obvious what's going on. You see it coming from the moment the rich guy talks about raising pigs, so you spend the next hour waiting for the main character to catch up with the audience.

The cabal of old satanists is also kinda cliched and ridiculous and some of the dialogue and performances are pretty weak.

It's a small, low-budget movie and it shows, not so much in the production values (which are fine) but in the caliber of the actors involved.