Fifth about The Seventh

Some Beasts (Algunas Bestias)

Some Beasts: Jorge Riquelme Serrano establishes an uneasy, almost creepy mood from the get-go; the film follows a family of six that goes to an isolated island for a weekend, and they are left to fend for themselves when the island’s caretaker vanishes. If there ever was a family that almost deserves to be in that situation, it’s this one: the grandmother and grandfather (played by the excellent Paulina García and Alfredo Castro) are imperious, racist, and unloving; their weak-willed daughter (Millaray Lobos) is in a loveless marriage with a bit of a leech (Gastón Salgado); the oldest grandson is a lazy boy and the youngest granddaughter, a bit clingy (Andrew Bargsted and Consuelo Carreño). Alas, the story doesn’t land well; the payoff is ferocious but after such a lengthy build-up, it feels rushed. Cinematographer Eduardo Bunster reinforces the coldness of the environment with his elegant camerawork, keeping the camera still as it watches the action, often from afar.

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