H0us3

I'm a big fan of dystopian novels and films--I think they present some interesting ideas, especially when based on things that truly exist, like current technology. One of the characters makes the wonderful observation that we no longer have cell phones, we have computers that allow us to make phone calls. Is there anyone who truly thinks about the technology at our fingertips who has not thought of such a thing at one time or another?

That's not to say that the film isn't riddled with improbabilities. When using current technology as a springboard for ideas, some leaps of logic can go awry. As an American, I loved the idea of the United States government being the "bad guys," even when I have doubts that some of our techs and politicos can barely tie their shoes without supervision. I won't go into the tech issues, which have been covered already. Sometimes you need to speed up processing times for the sake of the story and sometimes "goofs" are deliberately made to keep people from doing incredibly stupid things by reproducing what they see in a movie. As long as the story moves forward in a reasonably logical way, I can be a bit forgiving.

The cinematography for this film was truly excellent. It relied on a few special effects, but nothing that would have prevented the film from being enjoyable without them. Honestly, because most of it took place in one room, it could probably be adapted to a stage play without much effort. The fact the director could get so much intensity from such a limited primary cast in such a limited environment says much about this relative new guy's skills. I will probably keep an eye out for future films, even though I'll probably have to stream them as I did this one.

What really prompted me to give this film an 8 rather than a 7 was that I saw the dubbed version. Anyone who's watched a dubbed film knows that dialogue suffers, especially due to the lack of intensity in the dub actors' voices. This lack of intensity could have ruined the final five minutes of the story, but for the very emotive acting being done there. That I enjoyed the film as much as I did, even being dubbed, says a lot for the film.

It kind of drags a bit ... or is a slow burner if that makes it sound better. It is not an easy watch at first ... but it does get to a point where you finally get invested in the characters. All the small talk up to that point may seem benign, but maybe it helped create the mood? It may work for you or it may not. I know that the twist towards the end might put you as much off as it did ... others here.

This is not an easy watch. Very slow burning with the big question, what is this leading up to. You may have issuees determening that, which I reckon is supposed to be that way. It is just unfortunate that the ending is such a letdown ... or is it? You may see it differently, I reckon the majority will feel cheated (no pun intended)

I found the movie very well done and highly entertaining, especially considering the fact that it's an independent and self-financed movie!

The story is very original and you may learn a thing or two -- however keeping in mind that this is science *fiction* (so things like the compilation time for an android app are entirely irrelevant, duh :).

To me the most impressive part is the "video chat" -- won't say more not to spoil anything -- It's really clever and well done. Plus the fact that Munguia keeps the viewer in a nice and intense suspense despite the fact that it's not an "action" movie. It's just a bunch of guys in a house! :)

What people seem to dismiss about this kind of films, is that at their core they are grounded in some frightening truths. You think 5g is the future? Your so wrong. There are corporations that run on 10 and 11g in parts of the world. Quantum computing is here already. You just will never get to use it. Conscious A.I. is what is coming and may already be here. This is not bogus UFO propaganda type material. This is what's actually happening behind the scenes. He who has an ear to hear and a mind to understand, take notice.

Good surprise for some journalists at the Cannes Film Market 2019, Hous3 is playing the originality card first and foremost. A reunion weekend of old students friends will be disturbed when one of them confess that he successfuly decrypt a confidential file every hacker of the world try to decrypt.

A house (living room and dining room), 9 actors speaking especially about computer science : onto the paper, Hous3 project is barely exciting, except for computer fans. This is all the more a surprise.

For his first movie, Manolo Mungia offsets his low budget by a lot of ideas, a flawless direction of the cast (each actor plays very well, helped by punchy dialogues) and a rhythm never grow less. Let it be a simple conversation to guess passwords or when the characters type on keyboards to decrypt code, the movie is never boring. The staging permits at each footage to capture the views of its nine characters while maintening the suspense (strenghtened by excellent musical choices).

Like other excellent movies like The Invitation (Karyn Kusama, 2015) or The Circle (Aaron Hann & Mario Miscone, 2015), Hous3 is a closed-room fully mastered (very good spatial management), also into its end fairly surprising (maybe a little too abrut for some people). Hous3 deserves to be discovered urgnetly and Manolo Mungia takes place into the list of horror/fantasy movies directors to pay attention to.