La hora fría

The Cold Hour takes several cliché' horror film tropes, combines them in entirely unexpected ways, adds brilliant acting and great cinematography and ends with a purely science fictional image that will live in my mind for a really long time. This is a well put-together ensemble piece. I'd tracked it down, having been encouraged by the largely positive IMDb reviews, but mainly because of the Silke (Hornillos Klein) Rule: "Buy Anything She is In" that dates back to Julio Medem's wonderful, Philip K. Dickian, Tierra. Purely from the perspective of The Silke Rule, this film could almost have been seen as a disappointment since, although her character Maria is top billed, all of the characters are extremely well balanced and no one is really the lead. Every part is so well written and so well acted, however, that the viewer comes out ahead. In fact, the primary PoV is 8 year old Jesús, played by Omar Muñoz, and he is wonderful, despite my normal antipathy towards child actors. I can't, alas, say much more without revealing too much.

If you've read the other reviews, you already know that the primary situation appears to be similar to 28 days, et al. (This MAY actually be correct - if you prefer clear, pat explanations from a film, rather than have it ask as may questions as it answers, leaving you with a delicious sense of cognitive dissonance, then go watch something else). However, I've never seen that ultra-standard plot trope handled THIS way, or combined with THAT. Run, don't walk, to get La Hora Fría if you admire and enjoy originality, a continual sense of surprise, and a refusal on the part of the creators to spell everything out; if, like me, you prefer leaving the experience of a film with a deep sense of unease and the feeling that you have a lot of thinking to do especially about what that final shot meant. Your mind will have something to mull over for a long, long time.

Settling into the story, be prepared for a character-driven study, even hinted at within the movie itself. The acting is superb, the story intriguing, and the conclusion leaves you answering AND asking questions. The director brought it all together and made everything work. There are some drawbacks in terms of character/story logic - why wait so long to confront the Strangers? Would you believe Pedro's version of events? - but they do not take away from the experience of "living" through young Jesus and his video camera. It's one of those films for which I am BEGGING to be released on DVD in the US with a director's commentary. There HAS to be some importance to the character names - Jesus, Judas, Maria, Magda, Peter, Paul, Matt, Luke - even Paul stops by. Someone can take it and write a dissertation...if you do, please post a link. I've got more movies to watch and review...

"The Dark Hour" deals with a group of people formed by eight survivors of an apocalyptical war , all of them are living into a rotten underground surrounded by strange creatures . They cannot leave the complex and they live in an usual state of vigilance . The misfit bunch is constantly in situation of control , as they are besieged by the contaminated mutants who spread a deadly virus and the Strangers , some invisible as well as menacing beings . The older people attempt the children learn about life by teaching them . They try to rehabilitate children who feel no pain or distress . But the food supplies are running out and they are physically suffering and urgently need medicines and weapons , so that they must leave the secure area . What lurks outside the small area they inhabit, however, is so threatening that they dare not even speak of it . Mankind's fate is sealed . There's a final quote during the end credits: "I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds," from the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita, as said by J. Robert Oppenheimer after the first nuclear test detonation in Los Alamos.

Spanish Sci-Fi/horror film set in a dystopian world full of thrills , suspense , chills and creepy twists and turns . ¨La Hora Fria¨ or ¨The cold hour¨ weaves a fantastic story , about a group of eight people searching for whatever thing necessary for his survival . As they live isolated in crumbling installations , the group is finely performed by Silke , Julio Periñan , Omar Muñoz and special mention for veteran Pepo Oliva as a lonely old man . This scary , bizarre film contains tension , thriller drama , mystery , plot twists and shocks , including decent scares with tense terror sequences especially in its final part , in a creepy as well as amazing denouement . A low budget Spanish production with a timeline that spans through a few days , it is a thriller that begins introducing the varied characters and goes on through until a surprising final . ¨La Hora Fria¨ suffers from some sputtering about a quarter of the way in , the sputtering came from an unique scenario, away from spectacular set pieces and toward a very sad story line , one which suffers from some slow-moving scenes and claustrophobic atmosphere . Interesting screenplay by the same director revolving the mental disintegration of a diverse group and the various amazing surprises they find . The motion picture is pretty well , although sometimes deliberate pacing and packs a lot of turns ; however is entertaining for continuous suspense and intriguing as well as shady atmosphere . The picture is thrilling and some moment brilliant, and the players are quite reliable . Ghastly movie builds taut by showing virtually well staged set pieces , appropriately sinister settings , enjoyable soundtrack and gloomy cinematography . Few disagree that the film is professionally mounted , the performances solid , and that it respectfully carries on the tradition and borrowing several elements of Spanish "horror" films . Furthermore , ¨La Hora Fria¨ takes parts here and there from known films such as ¨Omega man¨, ¨Dark city¨ , ¨28 weeks later¨ , ¨day of the dead¨ , among others .

Rousing as well as disturbing musical score by Alfons Conde , a good composer expert on dark atmospheres such as he proved in "Blind Alley" or ¨El Callejon¨ , ¨Viento En Contra¨, ¨Abandoned¨, and ¨Nodo¨or "The Haunting", the latter also directed by Quiroga . Adequate cinematography by Angel Fernández who creates an unique atmosphere , he's Pedro Almodovar's regular cameraman , as he photographed "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" , ¨Matador¨, ¨La Ley Del Deseo¨ . This is a motion picture displaying genuine chills , suspense, mystery and dark atmosphere and twisted finale , being skillfully proceeded by Elio Quiroga and turned out to one of the most unusual Spanish thrilling movies of 2006 and certainly one of the most unsettling . Quiroga is a good director and writer, known for ¨Fotos¨ , ¨Nodo¨ and this his most successful film , ¨La Hora Fria¨ ; he also directed shorts and documentary .

The eight years boy Jesús (Omar Muñoz) has been living in a crumbling underground facility since he was born with eight survivors of an apocalyptical war: the leader Maria (Silke) and her lover Pablo (Julio Perillán); the gays Lucas (Pablo Scola) and Mateo (Sergio Villanueva); the astronomer Magdalena (Carola Manzanares) and the teenager Ana (Nadia de Santiago); the soldier Pedro (Jorge Casalduero) and the lonely Judas (Pepo Oliva). They are permanently is state of surveillance, threatened by the contaminated mutants The Strangers and once a day they have to lock themselves in their rooms without heating to protect against the dangerous ghosts The Invisibles that attack in the Cold Hour. They cannot go to the surface, destroyed by a nuclear war. When they need supplies, medications and ammunitions, they organize expeditions to a store. When the menace of The Invisibles affects the safety of the group of survivors, they need to reach the surface.

"La Hora Fría" is a great low-budget movie showing a pessimist view of the fate of mankind after a nuclear war. The atmosphere is melancholic and claustrophobic and the story discloses the characters through the innocent eyes of an eight years old boy. I expected to find an explanation to their biblical names, but the film never clarifies. The story recalls "The Omega Man", "Day of the Dead" and "28 Days Later...", but is original and supported by a great cast that transmits fear, panic and lack of hope to the viewer, and by an excellent cinematography, using gloomy colors. I was a little disappointed with the ambiguous conclusion, and I understand that Pedro was right and the group was part of an experiment, but I am not sure if this was the intention of the writer. I believe the director Elio Quiroga failed since he was not able to express his real intention in the last scene. Probably due to commercial reasons, the Brazilian title does not correspond to the original Spanish title, as usual. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Hora Negra" ("The Dark Hour")

You will find absolutely no plot-info in this short comment/praise of director/writer Elio Quiroga's debut feature film. Because one of the cool things about LA HORA FRÍA is when you enter it, you have no idea what kind of movie this is. You think it might be some sort of post-apocalyptic drama, set in an underground facility. Pretty down-to-earth and believable. But as it progresses, you still don't have a clue what it's actually going to turn into. There's a re-occurring, strange supernatural phenomenon. A bit later it feels like you've just entered Romero's DAY OF THE DEAD vs. Cameron's ALIENS, so to speak (more in vibe than actual subject matter). And the real nature of this films pretty much continues to be a question mark right up until the final, fascinating revelation at the end. And don't worry, it's not some twist along the lines of "Oh, it's all not real after all...". A solid film that went beyond my expectations. Try to not read anything else about it, and just watch it. One thing I'll add: It's not straight-up horror but a great mixture of things, that's for sure. Great things, including haunting cinematography and a script soaked with a bleak sense of hopelessness, all accomplished on a modest budget.