Juno Temple plays Alicia, a young American woman who has traveled to South America to share some adventures with her cousin, Sarah, played by Emily Browning. Sarah introduces Alicia to her boyfriend, Agustín, who is currently studying hypnotism, his sister, Barbara, and their mutual American friend, Brink, played by Michael Cera. Together the five of them begin to head for a remote island off the coast of Chile when Sarah is called to return to the city. Alicia then finds herself alone with her cousin's four friends, who speak more Spanish than English, in an unfamiliar land. As culture shock sets in, insomnia and paranoia take control as Brink desperately tries to seduce the emotionally unstable Alicia.
The chaos captured in the film is enough to induce a panic attack in some unsuspecting audience members. This is far from a fun film to watch, do not be fooled by Michael Cera's name. Cera does play the perfect creep though and is a surprisingly good antagonist, even if only in Alicia's perspective. Those looking for Michael Cera comedy in a horror flick are going to hate this. This is an indie psychological drama that will win over film festivals but the majority will despise it for being so obscure and frustrating to watch. No matter how good the film does get, the ending will leave you feeling a little cheated. But perhaps that is the point.
Magic Magic is a well-crafted nightmare in the shell of a story that could have been a romantic comedy adventure. There is so much that could be said to be wrong with the film and yet all the wrongs helped portray a mental breakdown better. It's a heart-breaking story that most people are never going to want to witness again, even if they liked the film.
