If you look at it purely from a screenplay perspective, I wouldn't call this film amazing. Not even close. It tries to pull off a hotchpotch of Rear Window (in the beginning), a little bit of Panic Room, and a whole lotta Reservoir Dogs (in the third act). Leonardo Sbaraglia plays Joaquin, a widowed paraplegic living in a mansion with his aged dog Casimiro. He rents out the upper floor and terrace to a single mother Berta (a dashing Clara Lago, playing a stripper) and her daughter Betty.
With the arrival of Berta in his house, Joaquin slowly begins to feel the warmth of a woman again. They slowly begin to display a liking for each other. But the film isn't interested in exploring this unlikely acquaintance much. Joaquin, while working in the basement overhears a plan (on the other side of the wall) being hatched by a gang of robbers to break into a bank next door. A twist arrives early on, but I was hoping director Rodrigo Grande (who is also writing) would capitalize on it. However, the film then turns into a bundle of absurd ideas.
Grande compromises plot for thrills in the latter half. Things stop making much sense but what keeps the movie alive are its performances (even when its antagonists are one-note). If you ask me whether the thrills were clever enough to keep me engaged, I'd say yes (to an extent). I wonder how little Betty will cope with life after all the nastiness she witnesses in the film's final act. It's a mess indeed; one that may leave viewers reasonably satisfied but also one that's convenient.
With the arrival of Berta in his house, Joaquin slowly begins to feel the warmth of a woman again. They slowly begin to display a liking for each other. But the film isn't interested in exploring this unlikely acquaintance much. Joaquin, while working in the basement overhears a plan (on the other side of the wall) being hatched by a gang of robbers to break into a bank next door. A twist arrives early on, but I was hoping director Rodrigo Grande (who is also writing) would capitalize on it. However, the film then turns into a bundle of absurd ideas.
Grande compromises plot for thrills in the latter half. Things stop making much sense but what keeps the movie alive are its performances (even when its antagonists are one-note). If you ask me whether the thrills were clever enough to keep me engaged, I'd say yes (to an extent). I wonder how little Betty will cope with life after all the nastiness she witnesses in the film's final act. It's a mess indeed; one that may leave viewers reasonably satisfied but also one that's convenient.