A birthday party, a house in the country, a possessed harlequin and two brothers who want to kill each other. A story of intrigue, deception, murder and horror directed by Agustín Tapia.

Four characters and a country house are enough to create a thriller of intrigue, suspense and crime in the heart of a rich family, blinded by ambition.

The two brothers have been holding a grudge for years, it is a family with secrets and Nuria, Bernardo's wife, is also a woman with her own ambitions. An explosive mixture that will soon explode, while the innocent Pamela witnesses the strange events that she discovers.

In this part the horror genre comes into play, which seems to be inspired by horror classics, such as killer puppets.

What is the plot of the film?

Pamela is a little girl who likes to watch horror movies, even though her parents tell her that they are not suitable for her. In a few days she will have her birthday and her father, Bernardo, is the director of a company he has inherited from the family. Together with Esteban, Bernardo's brother, and Nuria, Bernardo's wife and Pamela's mother, they decide to go to their country house to celebrate Pamela's birthday. Esteban gives Pamela a harlequin doll that he has been told is the Cursed Jester, called Hellequin. This strange doll will come to life and will show the girl the events that are happening in the house: both brothers are planning to kill each other and Nuria is an accomplice of each one. A plot of deceit and betrayal with tragic results.

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I thought Hellequin was fun. I would like a movie focused only on the cursed jester, his origins, his history, his curse.

Hellequin, the cursed jester that Pamela receives as a gift, has a curse and comes to life before the girl. It is Hellequin who, through a puppet theater, shows her the dark secrets and plans that both her favorite uncle and her father have.

I know this seems absurd, but watching the film, I found it funny and it works very well. Although I think there is an imbalance, the film doesn't seem to define very well the genres it includes in its plot.

For a moment I thought Hellequin would have a bigger role in the middle of this story of betrayal. I thought it would be that cursed buffoon who would start committing murders. But in reality, he only communicates with Pamela and teaches her everything through puppet theater.

That's why the whole story of the brothers and in the middle Nuria, the woman they both desire, becomes more interesting, because of all the entanglements that go on and on and the warnings of the girl, who doesn't want anything bad to happen to her uncle or her father.

You can't trust any of the characters, anyone can betray the other, I found very funny all the plans that both brothers have to kill each other, failing in the first attempts, they will try again and will not rest until one of them kills the other, or end up killing them all.

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The only thing that bothered me a bit, was that the girl's dialogues seem too forced and read. I didn't believe anything she said. That at eight years old she likes horror movies and doesn't freak out when Hellequin talks to her, I really don't see much sense in it.

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Those scenes were funny to me, the girl's interactions with Hellequin. They are very well done and the harlequin has that Machiavellian face. But I didn't find him terrifying, on the contrary, he seems to me a very funny character that could perfectly star in a movie all by himself.

In one part of the film the origins of the harlequin and the curse he has are explained, unfortunately the subject is not touched again, I was left wanting to know more about the past and the origins of the cursed jester.

But the overall result is a film that I found very entertaining, with funny moments and a war between brothers, with a surprising denouement.

film has been labeled as a Mexican horror film, although for me it is not quite horror, it has elements of the genre, of course. But the important thing is that even though there is an imbalance between the different genres, I had a great time and I liked the ending.

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Who is the director?

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Agustín Tapia, nicknamed El Oso, is a Mexican filmmaker who debuted in 2005 with the film Club Eutanasia, which I have not seen. I haven't seen his previous film either, he is a director I didn't know. Looking at his filmography on IMDb , he has also worked in television, directing episodes of Los Héroes del Norte and has made several documentaries. Since I liked his film, I'm going to look for his first film. When I get to see it, I'll give you a review.

The photography was done by Javier Morón, who has worked on the films Partes Usadas, Las Horas Muertas and Asfixia. I liked the photography work, creating that atmosphere of intrigue and horror, especially the scenes set at night.

The house where the film was shot and the surrounding landscapes are beautiful, but at the same time they convey a strange feeling, with a forest that looks lonely and full of hidden dangers. The creation of the atmosphere is another factor that makes the film appealing.

The Cast

Actor Juan Rios plays Bernardo. Pamela's father and owner of the family business. Together with his wife they plan to assassinate Esteban. The actor is perfect in the role, his character is believable. Juan Rios has extensive experience in Mexican television, I know very little about him, I have not seen the other films where he has worked and much less the Mexican soap operas where he has played characters.

Iván Arana plays Esteban, Bernardo's brother and Nuria's lover, with whom he plans to kill his brother. I didn't find his character very sympathetic, he falls heavy from the beginning. I haven't seen anything of his career, he has been mostly dedicated to television, where he has starred in the series El Mariachi and has participated in El Señor de los Cielos. Both series are very successful in Latin America, but I haven't seen them, because for me they have a format more similar to a telenovela than a TV series.

Fernanda Castillo plays Nuria, Bernardo's wife and Esteban's lover. She is in cahoots with both brothers, because she has her own plans. The actress is well known in her country and has already worked with Arana in El Señor de los Cielos. She has a long trajectory, but I didn't know her and this is the first time I see her. As a villain she does very well, thanks to her experience in television.

The girl Valery Sais is the one who plays Pamela. She is a very photogenic girl, but her character didn't convince me. But it doesn't matter, she is just a kid and acting is a hard job, I'm sure she did her best and that's why through this post, I sent her a congratulations. Maybe she will become a future movie or TV star in Mexico. Best wishes to the child actress.

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The pace of the film is quite slow, it is a romantic drama that explores a specific period in the life of this Finnish painter. I only recommend it for those who like to watch such beautiful films, whose plot moves slowly. If it is not the style of film you like, you will be bored.

I liked it a lot and it made me research and learn about the life of this painter, besides being a beautiful film, it has helped me to learn and discover things I did not know.

It is available on the filmin platform for Spanish speakers and for English speakers, you have to do a search on the internet, I hope you enjoy it and we'll read each other in the next review.

My Ranking: 3.5/5