Thesis

It has been suggested that Alenjandro Amenabar is one of the best things to come out of Spain since paella. I have to admit that I found his direction of The Others incredibly gifted... particularly since he was working in a foreign language. To truly appreciate his talent, however, you will need to check out some of his Spanish work. Thesis is a nifty, creepy place to start.

Angela (Ana Torrent, recently Katherine in The Other Boleyn Girl) is an undergrad on a deadline. Her thesis is on violence in film, whether it's ethical to exploit it and why death and mayhem is always so fascinating. This leads to the acquisition of a videotape that apparently records the horrific murder of a former student of the university... and a private investigation - who killed her and who recorded the deed. Enter Chema (Fele Martinez) another film student with his own fascination with violence, and handsome, charming Bosco (Eduardo Noriega, yum!) who seems unnaturally fascinated with Angela. So who's next for a screen test?

Amenabar does a fine job in weaving in a lot of repressed sexuality, and Torrent is fabulous at maintaining a dance of obsession and terror. But the real fun comes from a constant jumpiness that builds throughout the film. By the time you know she's in real trouble, you're just as frightened as our heroine. Down to your last match in a dark basement.... See another review here.