Rating: 3.5/5
Natalia Solián is trying to get pregnant. At the start of the movie, her family takes her on a pilgrimage to a huge Virgin Mary statue to ask for help
Once pregnant, she realizes all that she has to give up — not just smoking, woodworking due to the associated chemicals — leaving her on edge, cracking her knuckles, contorting her back
On top of that, she keeps seeing a strange person, their face obscured, their bones cracking and breaking as they move
Of course, her partner blames lack of sleep, the pregnancy, etc. — classic Rosemary’s Baby-style gaslighting. Still, the person comes closer, seeming to want the baby
In flashbacks, we learn of her lesbian punk past and the choices she made to leave it and her then-girlfriend behind
The film deals with identity — who you were, who you’re trying to be — and how much you can tear yourself apart trying to be the right person
It feels more in line with films like The Babadook in terms of the type of terror that manifests is sparse, and the drama of her life is the primary focus
That said, it makes its own choices about the trajectory the story takes, and those choices make all the difference
Not a very scary movie, but well-crafted
Stray Thoughts
- The crib she makes a pretty cool with the diagonal bars and spider web design — spiders and webs being a recurring motif in the movie (and a psychic tells her that she’s caught in something’s web, so not subtle)