Coto de caza

COTO DE CAZA (1983)

This is one of the best films I ever saw and I can't help but express my total indignation to the fact that filmmaker Jorge Grau doesn't have the attention he deserves. Only a master to conceive such a impactful work of art. This is a movie that couldn't be produced today with all the correctness imposed to art in general, and I will not take a position in relation to the discussion raised by the story. I believe that cinema must be evaluated not by any moral criteria, but by the excellence of its artistic conception. And what we have here is a perfect production.

Everything works wonderfully well. The script is carefully structured and the character development respects coherence and cohesion, leading us to immerse ourselves in the plot without any hesitation. All this is helped by a fluid editing and an impecable job by all the cast. I was speechless with the perfornance of Assumpta Serna. Previously, I had seen her in a small role in the bomb "Wild Orchid" (Zalman King, 1989) what made me have a negative impression about her, but I was totally wrong.

The disturbing violent scenes will put many viewers off, but they are vital to the efficience of its message. This is not an excercise in exploitation, but a serious drama that hurts our sensibilities precisely because it exposes how fragile our system of values can be. Only open and mature minds are prepared to this, but this is a movie that needs to be rediscovered and appreciated in its uncut format.

After watching the excellent "No Profanar El Sueño De Los Muertos" (1974), I developed an interest in the work of Jorge Grau. Now, after "Coto De Caza", I have no doubt that he is among my favorite authors.

Jorge Grau's film, Code of Hunting aka: Hunting Ground was almost 10 years after is more well known, The Legend of Blood Castle (1973), Violent Blood Bath and Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, both 1974. It is well made but rather slow for the first half, and not to much happening with a hunting on the lake and looking inside supermarkets and stores. It does get going with a home invasion and an accident and then at the end a really terrible nasty sleaze another home attack with very brutal and sexual violence. Eventually there it comes the revenge and by this time we are almost shouting for the lawyer, Adela played by the famous actress, Assumpta Serna who certainly earned her money on this one.

This slow-paced crime thriller was seen by some critics as a plea by Jordi Grau in favour of the death penalty. He categorically denies that.

Generally this film is uncomfortable to watch. In many ways the outcome is predictable, as is the ordeal Ms Serna's character is going through, but the predictability and the slow pace somehow make it worse. It is like falling out of an airplane at ten thousand feet without a parachute. You know what is going to happen and the anticipation of the inevitable gruesome outcome makes you wish that it is over sooner rather than later.

Interestingly, the film has much stronger female than male characters, an unusual attribute for movies (not counting TV movies) of this genre. The film centers around the lawyer played by Assumpta Serna, and she amicable pulls off the performance required to hold everything together.

I originally saw this film on a bootleg print years back. But since mondo macabro released it on blu ray, it's alot better to view. Definitely not for everyone...the last 15 minutes atleast. But Definitely a great film. Jorge grau never disappoints.... I highly recommend this film.

A very interesting incursion by Jorge Grau in the Quinqui trend (a Spanish young delinquents subgenre), that switches the traditional point of view of these films from the aggressors to the victims. That makes the movie a little more conventional (it's much easier to empathize with the victims) and with the social message more prominent, but the powerful direction of Grau, the dark mood and the excellent acting all around makes up for it. It's a slow burner but with a big finale.