Parvulos

I have admired the films of Isaac Ezban for 10 years now. El Incidente was his first film in 2014. One look at that trailer- and I was obsessed- fascinated- and addicted. I wanted more. Here's an artist whose ideas are as unique as they are original, where simple logic is often dismissed in favor of abstract ideology.

Parvulos tells the story of the aftermath of a near Apocalypse. 3 young brothers- Salvador, Oliver, and Benji (Mateo Ortega Casillas) have a close bond, and their mutual struggles to survive under adversity is beginning to wear them down. All they have in this world is each other. They are in the middle of nowhere. Their Parents seem to be missing. They hunt to eat. Vegetables will not grow. How bad is this new world? Salvador mixes honey with worms for a smoothie to start off the day. That's bad. Judging from the objects in their house, it could be the 1970s. They have no electricity, but Dad, an Engineer, showed his son how to power electrical devices by riding a bike- not an easy task for an oldest son missing a half leg. They try to stay upbeat, but that seems almost impossible in this barren world we see and know very little of.

Oh, and before I forget- there are 2 bloodthirsty Monsters chained up, angry, and demanding to be fed- but why should they care about hunting animals to feed monstrous Zombies- wonders Benjie- especially when they barely have enough food for themselves? Ok- A key REVEAL ahead concerning the Zombies identity.

The backstory - there was a Pandemic in Mexico. People died - and a new vaccine was needed. But viruses mutate rapidly- leaving previous vaccines ineffective. A Pharmaceutical Company screwed up their latest vaccine- no clinical trials - leaving those who were injected to become blood thirsty Zombies (obviously an anti-vaccine theme)- The infected hope for an antidote to this vaccine- but why the sense of urgency for this family?

The REVEAL- Hopefully for a cure for Mom and Dad-. Obviously, they got infected and had the 2 oldest boys chain them in the basement before they transformed into Zombies for their children's safety. (On a personal level - my father died from Covid- and to imply that the Vaccine is worse than the Virus is somewhat offensive) Benji was never told by his 2 older brothers, because it would be too traumatic. The irony is that in this new world, trauma was a part of everyday life. Benji finds renewed hope. He interacts with them- reads them stories and tries to teach them as they once taught him. He even attempts a family Xmas party. What some found as dark humor invoked sadness in me- it was heartbreaking to see both the before and after pictures of their past Xmas photos, and to laugh at their condition would be like laughing at the handicapped- which for me transcended any level of humor. Maybe I took the film too seriously.

The children and infected parents change roles on parenting. Their father always told them only 2 things remain constant in life- FAMILY and CHANGE. Parents are responsible for their children early in life and years later- it's the child's turn in most cultures- an analogy here for the role a caregiver of sick parents and its effects on the lives of those children Involved. Ezban said this film was very personal to him and dedicated it to his brothers.

One problem I have here is that the reveal of the Zombies identity is too early in the film- there is another 90 minutes left- it's just a reveal, not a twist. Who else could these Zombies be? There is no way that a kid with one leg and 2 little boys could capture and chain up anyone without help, especially a violent Zombie. It would have been better with a visual backstory. The scares would be greater knowing that it's the parents from the start- and seeing that transformation change the family dynamics.

What Ezban does so well is to focus on the dynamics of sibling relationships dealing as best they could in a near impossible situation and not deviate from that core value. There are other characters in the film worth mentioning- a scavenger, played by actress Carla Adell, who helps Salvador lose his virginity and then upon leaving has an unwelcome surprise. Zoe' Hernandez plays the leader of an opportunistic group of religious zealots (the Trumpets- The 4 Horseman and the Apocalypse) who explains that he has the only antidote- but they have bad intentions. Most of the horror in this film comes in the 3rd act- and it has a bleak bordering on cruel ending. A new family dynamic takes form. Ezban always believed that you can't have a happy ending in any horror film. In the end, the boys' purpose in this world was to stay alive and protect the family at all costs - and that remains the heart of this story- they ALL sacrifice SOMETHING- either their innocence or their lives, and in some cases- both. That is what sets this film above the competition and makes it unique. The focus remains on family.

The cast were great- highlighted by the 3 young actors who played Salvador, Oliver, and especially Benji- also the psychotic Zoe' Hernández ("We are the flesh"). Ebzan's crew- Rodrigo Sandoval, Adelle Achar, and Edy Lan- reunite from El Incidente. Achar in particular should be in demand for her excellent art/production design, and the sound design at times is incredible on building tension. Ezban's attempt to mix family drama in such a film of this genre is quite ambitious. He takes risks in unexpected ways. Despite its few flaws- the movie kept me fully invested- had an excellent pace. Ezban does a great job in fleshing out his characters, and that's inspired writing- in a personally inspirational film.

One Note- The killing and gutting of a Sheltie Dog in the beginning will probably not sit well with American Audiences- but in this new world - it was necessary for survival. Still, it's considered a taboo- "Man's best friend?" In summary- this is a very good film for so many reasons- as for Fantasia in Montreal, the best since 2023s "Red Rooms". My grade reflects that, and people should definitely make an effort to see it.

"Párvulos: hijos del apocalipsis" is a very original zombie film from the perspective it is told, the script talks about brotherhood, family relationships, the apocalypse and the domestication of zombies, in a way a tribute to "Day of the Dead" by George A. Romero, in addition to including dark comedy excellently captured by director Isaac Ezban and the drama that he uses in the main characters and their relationship, as well as how they care to their parents who have become zombies. The old-school makeup effects are tremendously accomplished, the gore highlighted in several scenes. The costume design of the three brothers is very reminiscent of those used in films of this type in the eighties and turns out to go wonderfully with the story of the film. The cinematography is great, the dead colors stand out giving almost a black and white image in some scenes. The performances of the three protagonists are outstanding, achieving great chemistry on screen in their roles as brothers. "Párvulos: hijos del apocalipsis" is the best Mexican horror film of this year 2024.

Or is it neighborhood? Well whatever the case , no pun intended. Also hi to the director, who had quite the interesting and long foreword before the movie started at Fantasy Filmfest (in Stuttgart for me). He said he would be checking imdb, X and letterboxd to see if anyone would be rating his movie - and here we are.

But I am not writing this for the audience of 1 - although I don't mind if it is just one person who swings by. You can't get them all - and concerning this low budget movie, it will have a hard time to find its way into cinemas - at least in Europe. That said, it really does not take any prisoners (well no pun intended once again, also not meant literally).

You have brothers who have to survive. They have to work together in a situation that adults would have problems to deal with anything ... that said, we do also get a glimpse of something ... we hear something ... and we can guess what or who that would be ... I doubt many will be surprised or will see the resolution as a great twist.

That said, the movie has enough story tweaks and stuff happening that I did not expect, so it is able to catch you off guard. Cinematography is great ... the set design is amazing ... and the bleak tone (almost devoid of any color and you can make your own deductions about that, psychologically speaking, but also otherwise) sets a tome that the movie is able to maintain throughout.

How do you end a movie like this? It will be quite ... well moving! Yes I went there - and the characters sort of too ... not for the faint hearted for sure! Be aware of that and the movie will be able to have you at the edge of your seat almost al the way through.

Parvulos: A bleak Mexican Zombie film, it does have a line of dark humour running through it which at times gives it a flavour of Citizen Z. Three brothers, 17, 12 and 7 years old live in an isolated mountain cabin, the youngest wondering when their parents will return. In the basement there is a monster which the older brothers feed rats and dogs to. It's been years since the Omega Virus struck and civilization has fallen. The brothers eat worms, frogs, and try to cultivate plants. Much falls on the shoulders of the elder brother even though he has lost a leg. Difficult and dangerous scavenging journeys take place. The infected aren't the only threat, there are also bands of religious fanatics who cut out people's hearts. The infected look like Zombies but aren't dead. The hope of cure remains, however unlikely. Attempts to train and rehabilitate the infected provide some of the humerous scenes in Parvulos but there is always the threat of being bitten. Filmed in washed out colour, almost monochrome, the loss which the brothers and humanity has suffered is appositely portrayed. The never ending grind of surviving from day to day, the inability of the younger two brothers to fully appreciate the horrors which they face and the refusal of the oldest brother to allow room for sentiment sets up the grim scenario of this film. Some truly horrifying and downright disgusting scenes, this is not a film for the squeamish. Some plot twists/reveals won't really come as a surprise but others will. An impressive coming of age tale. Directed by Isaac Ezban, Written by Ezban and Ricardo Aguado-Fentanes. 8/10.

Living alone in a post-apocalyptic dystopian society, a family of brothers forced to live on their own while trying to survive the elements as well as the vicious, ravenous creatures they have chained up inside the basement which would threaten their existence if it were to be revealed.

This was a rather challenging if still enjoyable effort. One of the better elements of the film is the incredibly strong and accomplished storyline that mixes together some really intriguing elements. The main starting point about the brothers being sent off into the wilderness for their own survival and trying to balance not just their personal problems but the escalating situation around them is a fantastic one offering the chance to slowly introduce the brothers in this particular universe but also to focus on the individual growth that takes place during the film. As personal curiosity over the savage creatures in their midst continually brings the kids into danger forcing them to be saved while also needing to continue their traditional survival operations involving scouting abandoned locations for supplies, securing food, and other general security aspects at play, this aspect is brought about incredibly well spending nearly the entire time here with the kids. That fine setup brings about a series of fine sequences as the group struggles to maintain a semblance of civilization with the creatures living among them. Growing far more comfortable with what's going on the longer they're around the creatures, being skittish and unsure of what to do which nearly leads to several close calls where they get saved just before the creatures get to them into being confident enough to try to tame them. This leads into some really fun scenes here featuring the kids trying to stay alive which brings about some intriguing scenarios involving the kids and the creatures before taking the spectacular action route into the film where they have to fight back against a series of intruders which are brought into the fray. This allows for some of the more impressive sequences and action which has the great ploy of allowing for some solid make-up work on the creatures and plenty of bloodshed to all make for a really impressive effort. There are some factors here that do hold this one down. One of the main drawbacks present here is the unwieldy and uncomfortable running time that lasts far longer than it should. Given that so much of the film is spent with just the brothers living together trying to let their curiosity involving the preferential treatment of the particular creatures in their care forces plenty of scenes involving socializing or reconnecting with them which helps to instill the kind of storyline attempted here but instead comes off with the feeling that it could've been trimmed down to not eat up the running time. The final confrontation is also way too long with so many means of saving the kids just because of their age that feel unrealistic, and while the action is great introducing this many wild storyline elements just makes for a tough time here. Alongside the infuriating nature of the kids' stupidity continuing to put them in danger, it does have some drawbacks.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, and children-in-jeopardy.