Ionizing

Q. And what do you get ? A. White Chamber.

It's as if the numbskulls of the entire production team of Big Brother had been given the remit of making a 'futuristic thriller', and so being devoid of any genuine imagination of their own, hastily cobbled together this completely derivative and unengaging low-budget dross, dressed up as a savvy dystopian drama.

Take the advice of every real reviewer here, and watch something else instead...anything else !

It must be pretty rare, if not unique, that you agree with what everyone has written, not totally of course but certainly in the main. No one could accuse this movie of being good, yet there are far worse, I know because like you, I've seen them.

Set in a classic haunted house, complete with thunderstorm and jump scares, it looks like it could be a homage to those amateur 70's-80's Spanish/Italian horrors, but in actuality that's just due to its poor production rather than by intention. The music and foley is indeed awful, as is the film quality and editing, but the actors do there bit despite this, and it's actually quite unsettling in parts, which just about manages to keep its head above the water.

As I and the others have said, it's not a good movie, but knowing that and if you mainly want to see some quite attractive actresses get naked, and I think they all get naked at some point, coupled with something hammy that has a bit of atmosphere, then you could do worse in my opinion.

Ps. I've rated this slightly higher than it probably deserves, just to get my point over.

I think I'm starting to learn Spanish by absorption I've watched so many Argentinian films lately, and I'm glad I have, as they are presenting scenarios in an art form that Hollywood is simply unable to do. Rather than budget constraints resulting in trashy exploitation movies, as tend to come out of more affluent nations, it seems to focus and direct these film maker's attention back to the essentials of film making, and The Lost Brother is no exception.

The title can refer to any of the three 'brothers' here as they each are lost and are central to its plot. This is not so much a film to be enjoyed, but experienced rather, as everything about it is believable and painful, even the unsettling dual-personality of its main character.

People really do vanish in these environments, and presented here is a possible situation in which some of these disappearances occur. It's all awkward, sad, and difficult to watch, where the manipulation and abuse of the elderly and poor is up for grabs, and even the perpetrator lives in mental and physical squalor.

The acting is natural and authentic, the direction superb, the script tight and unpredictable, and the score is sparse and effective, all so much so in fact that it can leave one dispirited - you have been warned.

But it will give you an insight into another world, raw and unfiltered, and make you appreciate being able to watch this in your comfortable urban front room on your 40" LCD TV.