Nos miran

Well, I am surprised that there are only seven comments so far. So I am adding another one even though I didn't plan to write one.

This movie is pretty good, entertaining. However, it has some scenes that don't make sense. For example, when Juan was outside with his family, all of sudden, he saw something strange. He just followed that strange thing without even saying goodbye to his family. Then, somehow in the end, he ended up in his office?

And in the end, what is the reason that he wants to lock his own children? That doesn't seem to make much sense, either.

The concept is good, maybe someday someone from Hollywood can make another version of this movie.

I've seen this movie twice and liked it a lot both times, even more on second viewing. It's definitely not for everyone, especially gorehounds. It's pace is deliberate and while you probably won't get any "jump out of your seat" scares you do get some spooky moments and an overall creepy atmosphere. I agree that the film starts out like a police drama but as Juan delves deeper into the disappearance of a married man, he uncovers the startling fact that thousands of citizens from Spain have disappeared throughout the years without a trace. From there, the story starts to take a different spin and we also are introduced to the former detective who handled the case. He just happens to be locked away in a psychiatric facility where he mutters just two words over and over again, "Nos Miran" or "They're Watching". I'm sure many will probably turn their noses up at the ending as it may seem "hokey" or too "hollywood" to them but I love it. I think it works perfectly and if I may respectfully disagree with the other review, I found all the questions neatly answered and resolved at the conclusion. I'm not sure I can recommend this one as I'm not certain it's everyones cup of tea, but I really like it.

Nos Miran is a very good and interesting film that has creepy elements but it is not the all-out horror some people do not like. It is similar to The Sixth Sense, and like The Sixth Sense it gives us something to think about for days.... or months.... or possibly years. I have watched it six times, and every time I like it a lot. It does not start very fast, but it is interesting from beginning to end. I enjoy it very much, and if you like films like The Sixth Sense, you cannot leave Nos Miran out of your life.

(This review was originally written by me in Spanish and then I translated it to English. Because of differences between the languages, some parts of the review may sound choppy.... I am not a professional translator, but I translated my original Spanish review to English to the best of my ability. I am putting this in the review in protest that IMDb.com would not allow me to submit a review that had both the Spanish and this English translation, despite the movie being in Spanish and my desire to allow people who may primarily speak Spanish to understand my review better.)

I was curious about this film, which I watched in DVD format. The film is based on a book by Javier Garcia Sanchez, "Los Otros", which by the way, it's the title of a better known film, "The Others", by Alejandro Amenabar. What I still don't know is whether Amenabar was inspired on this novel, or as the IMDb page indicates, he wrote his own screen play.

Directed by Norberto Lopez Amado, this film came out after the more commercially successful Amenabar's movie. It's strange to have two movies about more or less the same theme filmed by two totally different directors, giving also two different accounts. If you haven't seen the movie, stop reading right here.

"Nos Miran" is a horror story. It starts in a flashback when we see a group of children playing in a railroad yard. Young Juan loses a dare and must lie flat on his back while an incoming train goes over him. At the same time, his young sister disappears in mysterious circumstances. The story goes forward as we watch a grown up Juan, now married to Julia, with two children of his own, a boy, and a girl. Juan works for the police department where he is given the task of solving the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a wealthy man.

In pursuit of this goal, Juan discovers a link to the case when he is referred to go to an insane asylum to try to talk to the police detective that was involved with the case, originally, and now is a lunatic. The only thing he gets out of this person is: "They're watching us".

This is a Gothic tale where reality and the perception of life in other dimensions blend to give a spooky feeling that yes, we are in reality being watched. But is the director referring to an abstract idea, or is he giving his own input in why people in his own country disappeared because of political turmoil? Knowing that Spanish directors, in general, love to have their own input about how they feel about their country, one wonders if the "disappeared ones" are the ones that either had to go away for fear of their lives, or are they the ghost of the "disappeared" in the civil conflict?

Although the film has a vague ending, it creates an atmosphere of mystery and menace lurking behind everything in Juan's house. We don't ever know what really happened with Juan. All we know is that he has been wounded in a leg, but that is not the reason for his demise.

Carmelo Gomez does his best work, in one's humble opinion, in this movie. His performance is multi layered. He expresses his confusion and his fear in a way that he hasn't done before. Either he responded to the material, or to the director, or he liked what he is doing here. Iciar Bollain, has nothing to do in the movie. The veteran Margarita Lozano is also totally wasted, as she stays away from the mystery that is at the center of the action in her own house. The children, Manuel Lozano and Carolina Petterson, are good in their portrayal of Alex and Laura.

A police detective reopens a case about the mysterious disappearance of an important businessman and he finds out there's more to this bizarre case than he first thought. Where he discovers the previous cop that was on this case is in a mental hospital, he himself is starting to get manipulated and starts seeing people in reflections that aren't really there. Is it another dimension where the strange beings roam and what does all this got to do with his childhood.

This pretty much could've been a pearler of a film, but, yep but it ended up being tiredly underwhelming. This is because the whole mystery of this case slowly fades into tedium after the great first hour and the ending just lacked creditability. Although, that's just me. I thought is just copped out and took a sudden turn that didn't fit in the overall picture. Some might say it was a perfect way to end it, but that's my thought. I'll admit the film doesn't break any new ground, but it's slickly produced, with its incredibly well done direction and disquieting locations. The air is thick of atmosphere, a very unsettling awe that builds from the gloomy and cold settings. That of the cinematography, which covered these settings was truly striking by making you feel as if you were right there. While, the faint hearted score that prominently sinks into the film, just eats away at you. It puts you into a daze of discomfort and totally unhinges you. The story is what kinda derailed it for me. The supernatural touch is constructed into it beautifully, by painting an uncertain picture that seems to haunt you by mixing reality with the spirit world and implying we're being watched all the time. Leaving the door open for different interpretations. The actual topic of people disappearing without a trace and that's means everything they left behind still in the same spot is indeed scary and it does chill you to the bone. It's driven by its mysterious plot and the confronting script that pulls you along for the ride. Although, the more I learned about what was happening, the less I seemed to actually care. It benefit from not having any jump scares, but still it was predictable to know if something was going to happen and after the tight first half it just dwindle in an unconvincing fashion throughout the final scenes. The performances were good and Carmelo Gomez as the police inspector conveys a figure that you care for and truly believe with the emotions he goes through. He is one of the things that keep you wrapped in the dim story.

I'm glad I took the chance on watching it, but I'll say seek out "The Nameless" instead, which is more a tailor made mystery that's truly disturbing. Overall, an okay horror mystery that has some class and pours in some interesting ideas into this chilling subject.