The Corpse of Anna Fritz

For some reason it seems the only foreign films I ever end up watching are gruesome and disturbing horror films that put me off ever going to the country they're based in again. 'The Human Centipede' and 'A Serbian Film' are the first two that come to mind and while 'The Corpse of Anna Fritz' never lives up to the vile things I witnessed in either of those movies, it still deals with a sickening subject matter and is an uncomfortable watch at times.

I wasn't exactly sure where they were going to go with the film after everything promised in the synopsis had happened in the first 10 minutes. Then along came a very disturbing and well directed scene (which I won't spoil for you) that changed everything. From there it becomes a pretty tense and effective little thriller where you are never quite sure what is going to happen next. I would describe it as a lonely film, there aren't a lot of characters or even extras at any stage. The acting I would have to say was quite impressive from all involved and all in all I'd describe it as a very watchable little flick. Give it a look if you happen upon a copy of it.

A famous actress, Anna Fritz, has died and a young man working at the hospital morgue impresses his two buddies with her fresh corpse. On a dare, the boys decide to have a little fun with the sexy but cold body. Bad choices in life go south rather quickly as trouble is ahead and trouble behind in this adventure. The lead actress makes for a fine dead body but the three guys are not exactly A list actors. The movie is mildly amusing and is only an hour and sixteen minutes. Dive in at your own risk.

Let's be clear: it is not just about beauty here, but about celebrity and what that makes people think. We have three male characters here, which all do drugs. Now that alone may be enough for some to judge them. But if you are not too close minded, you will let that one slip (no pun intended). When it comes to discovering the body of Anna Fritz and what occurs then ... that is completely different and despicable to say the least.

Now one of the three has some common sense. Not just some, but enough for all 3 of them and therefor can be excused to a degree. The things that happen do make sense. Even the really abhorent acts in it. Some are tough to watch to say the least. I know some will have the same excuse as the two characters, but if you look inside yourself you should know it is just plain wrong.

Having said that, the movie develops quite the tension and quite the suspense that does carry through to the end. Spanish thrillers have really found a niche and place for themselves and this is just another one of those. Very well made to say the least

Well this all escalated rather quickly and ended just as quick...

quite believable other than a couple of moments but other than I quite enjoyed it x

Anna Fritz (Alba Ribas) is not a human being. In the public eye, she's a celebrity, a religion, an object. "The Corpse of Anna Fritz" makes this clear in its opening scene. As we see her lifeless corpse being moved to the morgue, voice-overs of people on the news are heard. They discuss her impressive career, shower her with compliments on her looks, and gush over how perfect a human being she is. This makes what follows all the more interesting.

Three friends end up in the morgue, alone with her corpse. Though there are brief and glossed over moments of ethical struggle before things get down and dirty, the characters are one-dimensional and serve a distinct purpose in the story. There's the moral compass, the antagonist and the spineless coward. While certain moments could have been more tastefully done, the film does raise questions on whether there is a grey area between right and wrong. In the hands of another team, this could have been a film further beyond our comfort zones that delved into its meaty themes of moral conflict, the ethics of necrophilia, the difference (if any) between the ownership of one's body before and after death and the repercussions of celebrity idolisation.

To be fair, the film does do something different in terms of the way the story shifts focus and evolves with its turns. The acting is fine but not entirely convincing, with Ribas being the stand out.

For a second I had thought that the film would end without its final twist, which was preceded by a intense escape sequence that's noteworthy. This would have been a subversive choice but would probably feel out of place given what they were going for: an entertaining, if predictable, midnight movie that's safe and thus more satisfying.