Oculto

Interpretation of dreams is the foundational idea of the plot at first, but as this subtle tale develops, it takes on more the dimension of a mystery thriller.

The movie's fulcrum is a passionate triangle with a fine Spanish cast. Two women and a man all become acquainted at convention regarding dream interpretation research. Natalia (a beautiful Angie Cepeda) publicly relates a recurring dream she has been having regarding a distinctive tattoo and a man repeatedly crying out her name. Beatriz (winsomely pretty Laia Marull) seeks out Natalia later to state she has been having identical visions, and thinks she may have insights as to what it's about. Alex, a Casanova lady's man type, becomes involved with both ladies.

What starts as an investigation of this dream mystery gradually evolves into a story of scheming deception, tragedy, revenge, and a woman scorned. As Natalia is tormented by her visions, her interaction with the others becomes obsessive and confused. The acting of the three principals is excellent, and the story is stronger for it.

As far as weaknesses to the movie, the actions of one character are inconsistently vindictive with their other actions. There are a few random gratuitous scenes, such as a pointless sequence showing a series of people using a toilet. It's just weird, and then they speed up the movement making it even sillier.

Overall, a well developed character driven plot line which unfolds with strategic precision. A fine film, worth a watch.

Spain these days has kind of replaced Italy and Britain in offering a European alternative to Hollywood-dominated genre films. These recent Spanish films are enough like Hollywood movies to be dismissed as "rip-offs" by the more ignorant viewers, but they nevertheless tend to have a distinctly European flavor to them as well (which was also true of the British and Italian genre films back in their heyday). However, if anything, it is Hollywood that seems to be ripping off i.e. "remaking" Spanish films these days rather than the reverse. This movie would probably be a good candidate for a Hollywood re-make, but a name cast of Hollywood actors would probably only serve to overwhelm this nifty, efficient little thriller as happened a few years back with "Abre los Ojos", later remade as "Vanilla Sky".

This starts out as a movie that seems to be about dreams and dream interpretation. A woman (the incredibly sexy Columbian actress Angela Cepeda) relates at a conference on dreams some allegedly prophetic dreams she had. This seems to stir something in another woman (Laia Murall, who in contrast to Cepeda, is merely really, really cute) and she faints. The Murall character approaches another attendee, a handsome young male, to get him to put in touch with the Cepeda character. The former seems to have some kind of strange hidden agenda, however (the title of this movie in English would be "Hidden"). At first, it seems she might faking the dream connection in order to have an excuse to stalk the guy, and indeed a love triangle does develop for awhile, but she actually has even more deeply hidden motives that aren't completely revealed until the final frames of the film. This isn't perhaps the most original film ever made, but it certainty keep the audience guessing for awhile.

The acting is very decent and Cepeda, who played "La Colombiana" in the Latin American movie "Pantaleon y los Visatadores" has yet another highly memorable nude sex scene. Check this out before Hollywood discovers it and makes their own bigger-budgeted, but no doubt inferior, remake of it.

Only at the end of this movie did I find the illogicalities of the plot annoying. It was as thought the writer and director started out with a very good idea, but could not resist embellishing it with complexities regarding the dreams, premonitions and mysterious symbols.

The result is that A leads to B, and B leads to C -– but then we learn that somehow C and B lead to A, and so on. What could have been a coherent, logical plot-line becomes a mess.

Having said that, I must admit that the movie is watchable to the end, and the actors are engaging and convincing within the constrictions of the storyline. Beatriz seems a little too naive and vulnerable for the revelations of her true intentions, and whoever gave her that appalling haircut should definitely not give up his/her day-job. The repeated references to "2001" seem unnecessary and distracting, and I feel that the same plot material could have been conveyed better in some other way.

Overall, the film could benefit by some judicious cutting, especially the pointless overhead sequence in the toilet, which has nothing to do with anything. Perhaps the director shot it as a student exercise, and couldn't resist shoving it into a movie somewhere?

However, despite its numerous faults, I recommend this movie as enjoyable and entertaining for the most part. Just put your logic on hold, and enjoy the acting and photography.

The acting in this film by Cepeda, Mullar and Sbaraglia are exemplary. They seem to have made the otherwise mundane plot seem like an actual life experience. One viewing will not allow the viewer to appreciate everything that's going on without missing key details. While very edgy on the suspense it is short on pretentiousness and gives the viewer the ability to relate.

An excellent movie to polish up ones Spanish on. While I don't claim to discern the differences in accents, the pronunciation (I would imagine of Spain) certainly lend an elegance and urgency to the conversations.

The women are exquisite in their appearance as in their acting without the need for excessively patronizing sexual innuendo. Mullars lack of obvious make-up application pronounces a sensuality rarely observed even in super-models. All those involved in this movie prove that there is no need for excessive or prolonged steamy scenes to capture the attention of its audience. Does that speak to the beholder?

In Madrid, the editor of the magazine Ziber-Arte, Alex Cuevas (Leonardo Sbaraglia), is invited by Beatriz Bravo (Laia Marull) to participate in a conference about interpretation of dreams.

After the lecture, the participant Natalia Hidalgo (Angie Cepeda) from Barcelona questions the lecturer about the meaning of her dreams with monoliths and symbols, believing that they are premonitions. Natalia is obsessed with her dreams and she tells them to the audience and immediately after, Beatriz faints. Alex feels attracted by the sexy Natalia and she gives her phone to him, since he is preparing a matter about dreams. Then he gives a ride to Beatriz to her home.

Fifteen days later, Beatriz calls Alex asking the phone number of Natalia. Alex promises to deliver her number to Beatriz, but he dates Natalia and forgets to meet Beatriz. However, Natalia asks him to meet Beatriz and she shows a tattoo that she made two years ago in Mexico with the symbols that Angelica mentioned in the lecture. Angelica feels that Beatriz is connected to her and might have the answer to her dreams, and her obsession increases. However, Beatriz goes to a tattoo artist in Madrid and shows that her tattoo is bleeding and he tells that it is normal in a tattoo with fifteen days only. Beatriz continues with her games affecting Angelica's obsession and her relationship with Alex.

The unknown "Oculto" is a sexy and engaging thriller with a good screenplay that combines drama, thriller and eroticism and supported by great performances of the trio of lead cast. The plot shows very soon that Beatriz is a liar but her secret is disclosed little by little, keeping a final surprise in the very end. But who makes this film work is the gorgeous and sexy Angie Cepeda, one of the hottest actresses that I have recently seen. And the best, she is an excellent actress! In the end, "Oculto" was a great surprise. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Oculto"