Patio de Chacales

Watching this film drove me mad, as if I had been drawn into a sound experiment without my consent. A nice idea, but overdone.

On the one hand, the sound effects and noises are clearly too loud, while the dialogue is at a moderate volume, and have crossed the line from appropriately affecting your mood to becoming a serious irritation. If the magic that makes you uncomfortable is only due to the noise and not to the coordination of sound and image, can you still attribute the magic to the film and claim "yes, you are annoyed, and that is what this film is trying to achieve"?

On the other hand, the story is rather stagnant for most of the time, not developing or unfolding to inform the audience until the final revelation. The only trick it relies on to build suspense and manipulate the audience is to make a fuss by withholding information, which is slightly improved when the recording device comes to light, finally giving the plot some solid momentum.

The trick on which the film hinges is a bit sly, at least in my opinion.

Writer & director Diego Figueroa takes the audience on an intriguing journey of fear, suspicion, anger and ultimately guilt set in the times of Pinochet's dictatorship in Chile.

The story focuses on the character Raúl Peralta as he navigates taking care of his ailing mother with growing fears, as he witnesses government agents involved in torture and oppression in the neighboring house. This focus gives the film a strong anchor for the sometimes confusing and increasingly disturbing scenes that fold out.

The small models of places and people that Raúl meticulously builds add a fascinating visual level to the film, telling their own silent and evocative story.

Overall, this is an ambitious artistic snapshot of what it might have been like to try to live a quiet life in an oppressive regime. Be prepared to grapple with many questions over the course of the film, which help to build the suspense, without resorting to cheap storytelling mechanisms.

The juxtaposition of compelling music and silence is masterfully paced. The diary Raùl scribbles in from time to time becomes a core piece of the plot, as well as the largely unspoken interaction between the protoganist and one of the government agents with a jagged scar running down the side of his face.

Excellent cinema with thriller elements and an oppressive air that challenges you to reflect.