After seeing Los Ojos de Julia, I decided to check out the first Guillem Morales movie El Habitante Incierto. It was an amazing experience. It’s really rare to see such an original and interesting movie, especially nowadays. Not following any cliches, but experimenting with different genres (horror, drama, thriller, comedy) Morales divided the movie into three sections. After a bit slower intro, El Habitante Incierto gets so interesting that you listen and look for even the smallest detail in an effort to figure out the story. Because it’s just so fucking engaging. It grabs you by the neck and doesn’t let go until the end. And with a runtime of just ninety minutes, this will be a short and exciting ride.
It almost feels like a Hitchcock movie, with a distinct dark humor vibe to it. It also checks out one of my favorite tags of closed environment movies. With sleek visuals and stylish cinematography, it’s really easy on the eye. And I shouldn’t tell you that the performances were also great. Especially from the star of the show, Andoni Gracia who plays Felix. The concept of a man slowly losing his mind alone in the house reminded me of Of Unknown Origin. Starring Peter Weller it tells a story of a man locked in mortal combat with a huge rat. Now, that’s a random Subversive Rabbit movie recommendation. Additionally, if this is something that interests you, check out our Movies About Rats List.
Felix is an architect who’s going through a bad breakup. Now living alone in his big house, he keeps hoping his girlfriend will come back. All this is taking a big mental toll on him. One night, he’s awakened from his brooding by a stranger in trouble. He says he just needs to use the phone and he’ll be on his way. Finally, Felix agrees not knowing that this will set in motion a series of events that will make him question his sanity.
El Habitante Incierto is an unpredictable hidden gem of Spanish cinema. It shares the stage with some of best Spanish thrillers like Contratiempo, El Cuerpo, Mientras duermes, La Cara Oculta and others. The atmosphere is suspenseful and pacing pitch-perfect. And the same goes for the storytelling, feeding us one piece of the puzzle at the time. Subsequently, any “free time” you can use to complete the picture of what’s going on. Finally, one of the stars of this movie is actually hiding in plain sight. A huge-ass mansion perfectly designed with automatic blinds, a roomy kitchen, and all kinds of features. In another word, a dream house for some of us. And a nightmare house for poor Felix. What would you do in his situation?
Director: Guillem Morales
Writer: Guillem Morales
Cast: Andoni Gracia, Mónica López, Francesc Garrido, Agustí Villaronga, Minnie Marx, Fina Rius
Fun Facts: Because of his excellent work, Guillem Morales received a nomination for the Best New Director at the 20th Goya Awards.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436374/
