El habitante incierto (2004)

Director:

Guillem Morales

Writer:

Guillem Morales (writer)

Release Date:

21 October 2005 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

What if ... you let a stranger into your house to use your phone, but while you've been patiently waiting in the kitchen, he just disappears ...

Plot Keywords:

Architect | Secret Passage | Birthday Party | Dog | Telephone Call

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Andoni Gracia	...	Félix
Mónica López	...	Claudia / Vera
Francesc Garrido	...	Bruno
Agustí Villaronga	...	Martín
Minnie Marx	...	Sra. Mueller
Pablo Derqui	...	Policía 1
Violeta Llueca	...	Policía 2
Xavier Capdet	...	Policía atestados
Pere Abello	...	Antonio
Fina Rius	...	Alicia
Xènia Gausa	...	Chica
Gemma Lozano	...	Niña (as Gemma Lozano Bernabéu)
Daniel Casadellà	...	Niño (as Daniel Casadella Silva)
Rubén Ametllé	...	Diego
Abel Coll	...	Chico mudanza

Also Known As:

The Uncertain Guest (International: English title)
The Uninvited Guest (USA) (literal English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexual content and violence.

Runtime:

Spain:90 min

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish | German

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Company:

Canal+ España

Movie Connections:

Remade as The Uninvited Guest (2009)

Soundtrack:

It's All Right with Me

Synopsis sounds intriguing, actual movie stinks.

For the first time in years, I've felt the need to log into IMDb today to cleanse myself of this movie by writing a review, because it was just such a let-down to watch. The plot sounded awesome when I read it, I expected a minimal mystery thriller, a claustrophobic phantom hunt. Unfortunately, it all gets watered down so bad by a mundane, tiring love story and too many contrived and teeth-gnashingly stupid "no-one-says-things-like-this-except-in-bad-movies"-dialogs that it's just agonizing.

Here's a quick run down of the worst offenses of this piece of film:

- The script relies so heavily on coincidences and the inexplicable and inexcusable stupidity of the main characters that it's just laughable. No, actually, it's angering. And lazy.

- Related to that: Cheap thrills. A long parade "just in time" moments.

- The main characters. Alright, it seems that the screenwriter has never experienced actual human beings in real life, but instead has gained all his knowledge from bad movies. Thus, his characters are boring, lifeless second generation clichés. They are mere plot-devices, place-holders without the slightest bit of personality. They are "man and woman in break-up who still love each other". Never seen that one before except in 100,000 movies and it's not getting any more realistic or enjoyable. Think of the blandest two-dimensional Hollywood fare and you've got it. There is not one character in this movie that is even remotely fresh, charming, or interesting.

- The far-fetched, vague resolution that's swaying very bad and needs just one nudge to topple, though the word "resolution" might be ill-fitting here, because the movie is a swampy mess that isn't going anywhere anyway. By the time you're through, though, you don't care anymore. The last third of the movie I just fast-forwarded, because it was just so unbearable to watch.

Okay, that's it. Whatever redeeming features this movie has, it all gets buried under incompetence. Don't watch this turd.