Magical Girl

It's hard to know where this entire film will lead to, but where it does is ultimately dark and disturbing. It's a psychological ride.

Obsession and desperation lead disparate characters to commit heinous acts in this dark, thrilling, quirky and Almodovorish tale. A father infatuated with purchasing a $15,000 "magical girl" dress for his cancer stricken daughter, a rigid, forceful teacher with a secret and simplistic weakness at being mocked, and a rich, sensitive, impulsive and unstable young woman who takes almost any kind of pain so long as she maintains her facade and knows of someone more miserable than herself, are each transformed by their obsessions into abusive creatures incapable of empathy.

Passions and fears float like ghosts in the recesses of each character's mind until delusions become more real to them than a simple fact or equation like "two plus two equals four." It is as if each character reaches a magical realm or gains a super power of their own choosing, where they may stay insulated from the world and those around them. Their isolation and avarice is emblematic of what is happening in Spain. Simple acts of kindness, fairness and empathy that could do a world of good for people are withheld for fear of some contagion. This thriller is, as I love, loaded with depth, metaphors and significance. The story line, acting and orchestration are exceptional for such a minimal budget. I only wish it had more support and funding. Four and a half of five stars. Seen at the Miami International Film Festival.

While the direction of this film was too cold and distant to resonate with me as much as it could've, I still enjoyed enough about it to give it a recommendation. For one, I enjoyed Barbara as the emotional core. Most films would have her start off in good health and have her mental health decline more and more throughout the film. In this film though, she was already unstable and Luis's behavior made her go from bad to worse. For instance, after she intentionally cuts her head on a mirror, Javier comments on it being another scar and later in the film when she's asked to disrobe, we see that her body is full of scars. Given those scenes, it's clear she had been suffering long before she encountered Luis. While Luis's control over Barbara is quite apparent though, Javier, her husband, is guilty of this as well. His monitoring of whether she takes her pills starts out as seemingly innocuous. The more he escalates though, the more paranoid he seems (a scene where he feels inside her mouth to make sure she swallowed a pill is super uncomfortable to watch). Another interesting thing about the film is the struggle which several characters face at finding closure or satisfaction. To list examples of this theme would involve spoiling major parts of the film, but that extensions of it pop up in smaller moments, like Luis missing an important radio broadcast from his daughter, or some unexplainable moments, like the final scene, is quite impressive. As mentioned at the start, the coldness of this film kept me from loving it, but while I'm not sure I'll revisit it again, I did enjoy my time with it.

The plot is, a father trying to fulfill his daughter with terminal cancer's last wish of a "Magical Girl" costume crashes into the lives of a disturbed girl and a retired professor.

Magical Girl is written and directed by Carlos Vermut and (in a Pulp Fiction style) focuses on three stories and characters that are all equally understandable and fascinating. The story is definitely the core of Magical Girl. It is one that subverts expectation. It can make you laugh, cry, or feel disturbed, and all while being a perfect whole. It is also one that makes for an equally great rewatch. There are dozens of details scattered in the movie that can only make sense on a second viewing. Sometimes, these details can even change the context of a previous scene.

The acting and camera-work are good without being too exceptional, but the way they work with the unfolding events can make them much more effective. And the movie never feels constrained by its budget in any way. The song choices are not only great and incredibly memorable, but they also have an important role in the story.

Magical Girl is one of the most unappreciated gems of 2014. It is entertaining, emotionally powerful, unique, and intelligent at the same time. It takes very little to get invested, and you will be on the edge of your seat. I adore this film and would highly recommend Magical Girl, it is a must-see.

Magical Girl is a very well shot movie. The cinematography is brilliant and overall nothing of the visuals is a problem.

The biggest problem with this movie is how convenient everything is. I get that Louis as a father would actually fulfill the wish of his daughter, Its not that dis-believable. But the lengths he goes to achieve it. can be questionable. But that's not really the problem I have with this movie.

Barbara's illness for which she takes medications for was never explored. While you can try to make the excuse that "It's left for interpretation" (which YMS did on youtube), Its not really an excuse because you are literally implying that I should guess what's wrong with her. This is not how you make me care for a character. Why does she have these scars on her body? Never explained. While I find it convincing that she would help Luise once, I find it hard to believe that she will go to such lengths, in his second "favour" with the 20k euros (which I honestly find It too convenient that just an accessory would be that much more than the costume itself). It doesn't make sense. Like she's literally risking her life and screwing it up as a whole, just so she can remain with her husband. It just doesn't make sense to me. It seems like a complete convenience for this edgy plot that this movie Is going with. Not to mention "THE DOOR" ritual thing (which just literally came out of no where.).

Now for the 3d act. After Barbara is completely screwed up and her life destroyed, due to her own ridiculous decisions (lets remember that she decided to sleep with Luis. Lets not pretend that didn't happen.). She all of a sudden wants revenge now.

OK, the part that really made me mad and just seriously made me hate this movie is the scene in the cafe with Damian and Luis. So you are telling me, that when Damian threatened Luis with the gun, Luis will just decide to respond with "Bitch"? Are you serious? Like, they literally had the whole time in the world in that cafe to discuss what exactly happened. This is what really made me really angry. He presented that whole phone blackmailing, in really the most conveniently horrible way possible. It doesn't make sense for me, that this would happen, when the guy is clearly smart enough to not throw his life like this.

So, this is how I feel about this movie. For me Its a really "edgy" and It hides its convenient plot in its "deepness".