The Abandoned

In Russia cars drive you! This isn't the best horror movie ever made but it isn't a horrible movie. It's kind of confusing which is actually kind **** thing. The movie keeps you guessing and wondering what in the hell is going on. There are some scenes that could probably have been cut out of the movie and it would have been just fine and the acting could have been better but overall it is a decent movie and if you can see it for free or for a low price its probably worth checking out.

There is little doubt that fantastic and horror Spanish cinema has gained strength, thanks to great directors such as Amenabar, Del Toro and Balagueró, among others. But, of course, there are a lot of films that have so little quality that they invariably stay on the way. This is certainly one of them. Launched in 2006, I have doubts whether it left any positive mark on the career of any of those involved. Directed by an unknown Nacho Cerdà, who also wrote the script, in collaboration with Karim Hussain, it takes place somewhere in the Russian countryside, following the journey of Marie Jones, a film producer who grew up in USA but is the daughter of Russian parents and was, as a child, given up for adoption. The film does not explain clearly the reason for the return to Russia, but it is understood that Marie was contacted by the notary Andrei Misharin to deal with bureaucracies related to her biological parents inheritance: a vast isolated property, abandoned since their death in 1966. There, she will meet her twin brother and also the dark past of her family. This film survives at the expense of the atmosphere of tension and mystery that it manages to create around what is happening with the characters in that isolated and decrepit place. Ultimately, this is what holds us to the end. The film deliberately takes time to explain a lot and there are some things that are left unexplained. The plot turns out to be disappointing, as it does not have a solid enough story to embody the film and to justify everything. It is a fine plot, which sometimes strikes the absurd, which puts the characters in situations of growing tension, distrust and fear, never going beyond that. To a certain extent, this film reminded me of “Triangle”, which dealt with the theme of time/space paradoxes. The cast is overwhelmingly composed of unknown names. Anastasia Hille was effective in the main role but has little to do other than to run around everywhere and overreact to everything that appears. The same can be said of Karel Roden, while Valentin Ganev is limited to a discreet and very restrained participation. At a technical level, the film is much more interesting than the cast's performance, with its very dark and dense cinematography, which takes full advantage of the vastness of the forest and the darkness and degradation of the abandoned house's scenarios, which are otherwise very good and were thought out in the smallest details.