'The Untamed' boasts an eye-opening beginning with Verónica, a rather listless young woman, receiving some hot tentacle action in an isolated cabin in the woods. It then quickly turns to everyday mundanity as we meet Alejandra, a young mother whose brutish (but vegetarian) husband, Ángel, has casual sex with her brother Fabián. But Fabián's meeting with Verónica kicks off a series of events that test the family's bonds and result in further visits to that cabin in the woods...
I do not recall ever having seen a Latin American sci-fi film before, but even if there is a whole genre of such films of which I have never heard, this offering must surely stretch the boundaries - not just in content but in tone also. Special effects are kept to an absolute minimum (and when we finally see the CGI creature as it - um - services Alejandra I had to stifle a laugh) because this is a film about people trapped in their unsatisfying lives. They live in grotty houses with messy beds and chipped paintwork, wear cheap clothes and rarely smile. It's no wonder the cabin in the woods is so enticing.
So despite its sci-fi elements this is a quiet film, rooted firmly on the ground - in many ways more of a kitchen-sink drama than anything else. It is intriguing enough that I would quite like to see it again.
I do not recall ever having seen a Latin American sci-fi film before, but even if there is a whole genre of such films of which I have never heard, this offering must surely stretch the boundaries - not just in content but in tone also. Special effects are kept to an absolute minimum (and when we finally see the CGI creature as it - um - services Alejandra I had to stifle a laugh) because this is a film about people trapped in their unsatisfying lives. They live in grotty houses with messy beds and chipped paintwork, wear cheap clothes and rarely smile. It's no wonder the cabin in the woods is so enticing.
So despite its sci-fi elements this is a quiet film, rooted firmly on the ground - in many ways more of a kitchen-sink drama than anything else. It is intriguing enough that I would quite like to see it again.