99.9

Agustí Villaronga has made another disturbing film about the human nature. This one is nearer to classic horror films, and was Maria Barranco's opportunity to show that she could make more things than comedies. The film has two parts: in the first Villaronga brings us where he wants in his strange story, in the second there are beautiful landscapes (Aguirresarobe is still the best), but lack of fx: it seems that there was not too much money for that.

Failed, but interesting.

I almost did not put this one on, but seeing that Terele Pávez was in it and that the filming was done by `el maestro' Javier Aguirresarobe, I succumbed. As I am not exactly so keen on `creepies' and horror type films, I did not expect much, so got more than I expected. Which, logically, is better than vice-versa.

Firstly it was great to see Terele Pávez again, so many years after the outstanding masterpiece `Los Santos Inocentes' (1984)(qv), as well as her lesser parts in `Requiem por un Campesino Español' (1985), the not so accomplished `Celestina' (1996) and the excellent TV series `Quijote' (1991) and `Cañas y Barro' (1978). However, also pleasing was to see María Barranco in a decent rôle, as previously I had only noted her as one of `Almodóvar's girls' in the early 90s, as well as participating in films which were more unfortunate than anything else – `El Rey Pasmado' and Bigas Lunas' indigestible `Las Edades de Lulú'.

In `99.9' things hold together surprisingly well, despite loose ends flying about which were not `nicely' tied up in a neat package. Deep in the depths of darkest Spain – but in effect some lovely sierras in the province of Jaen, Andalusia – some rather weird goings-on end up with Lara's (María Barranco) ex boy-friend being impaled stark naked on some railings in a cemetery right at the beginning of the film. Lara investigates and thus sets us up for a spooky session. Which may well have not worked if the cinematographer had not been Javier Aguirresarobe. This man is incredible, absolutely a perfectionist of the first order. Whether it be the dark interiors of mansions in `Los Otros' (The Others, qv), beautiful scenery and spider's webs in `Secretos del Corazón' (qv), costume pieces such as in `La Niña de tus Ojos' (qv) and Pilar Miró's `El Perro del Hortelano) or the highly acclaimed `Beltenebros', or the Madrid gangster world of Madrid in `La Fuente Amarilla' (qv), Aguirresarobe shows astonishing ability to even capture the feel and atmosphere of whatever he is shooting.

Apart from that, some of the acting is pretty good, even convincing given the hardy nature of people living in some of those tumbled-down abandoned villages lost in the cold sierras. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that if I were to choose seeing this film or `The Others' again, I might just choose `99.9'. It simply has an uncanniness that the other better known film lacks.

Mystery , terror , intrigue about a woman seeking clues about his lover's killing . Spanish horror film full of thrills , suspense , chills , intrigue and plot twists . It gives a terrifying and disturbingly adult view of fears in which posses an element of witchery . The motion picture is pretty well , although sometimes slow moving and packs turns ; however is entertaining for continuous suspense and unsettling atmosphere . It deals with Lara (Maria Barranco) , a radio host expert on psychic phenomena , she learns her estranged lover (Gustavo Salmeron) has been found dead in a small Spanish village . She aware that he was carrying out secret experiments searching for tortured souls trapped behind the energy of the living world. This leads her to an old abandoned house whose owner is a villager named Lazaro (Angel De Andres Lopez) , and where various faces have appeared and disappeared at irregular intervals , screaming faces seem to form within of the walls . In fact , the film is partially based on facts , as the Faces of Bélmez is an alleged paranormal phenomenon in a private house in Spain which started in 1971 when residents claimed images of faces appeared in the concrete floor of the house. These images have continuously formed and disappeared on the floor of the home. Located at the Pereira family home at Moraleda, Jaén, Andalusia, Spain, the Bélmez faces have been responsible for bringing large numbers of sightseers to Bélmez and many residents believe that the faces were not made by human hand. The phenomenon is considered by some parapsychologists the best-documented and "without doubt the most important paranormal phenomenon in the century" .

This exciting , bizarre film contains tension , thriller, drama , mystery , plot twists and shocks , including decent scares with tense terror sequences especially in its final part , in a creepy denouement . Interesting screenplay by the same director revolving the mental disintegration of a woman overwhelmed by her lover's disappearance and the various astonishing surprises she finds . Filmmaker Agusti Villaronga also wrote the strange plot , embarking into the phantasmagorical, or even quasi-surrealist story . The picture is thrilling and some moment brilliant, and the actors are quite reliable. As Maria Barranco as the host of a radio call-in show , Terele Pávez as Dolores , Ruth Gabriel as Julia , Simón Andreu as Simón , Pedro Mari Sánchez as Juan Miguel Picazo as Galiana , Maite Brik as Madre and special appearance by Gustavo Salmeron in a little role as her lover and appearing in his most part by means of flashbacks . Although is sometimes slow moving , overlong and stagy , however is entertaining for continuous suspense . Intelligent edition, special use of dark sets and slick utilization of shock images make this one, an acceptable terror film . Sinister and mysterious atmosphere is finely photographed by magnificent cameraman Javier Aguirresarobe which heightens the suspense . Aguirresarobe subsequently would make a prestigious career in Hollywood such as ¨Fright night , ¨The twilight saga: eclipse¨, ¨The road¨ , ¨The others¨ and many others . Suspenseful and stirring musical score by Javier Navarrete who has composed for successful terror movies such as ¨Mirrors¨ , ¨Pan's labyrinth¨, ¨Thirteen chimes¨ ,¨The devil's backbone¨ and ¨The hole¨.

The motion picture was compellingly directed by Agusti Villaronga . Agusti was born in 1953 in Majorca, Balearic Islands, he uses to do films including genuine chills , suspense , mystery and dark atmospheres . His movies pack excellent creation of taut , thriller , emotions and rare atmospheres such as ¨Aro Tolbukhin¨ , ¨El mar¨ , ¨El Niño de la Luna¨ and especially ¨In a glass cage¨ or ¨Tras el Cristal¨ . His greatest success was ¨Black bread¨ or Pa Negre¨ winning several Goyas .

The director, at the film's Toronto première, admitted that he did not resolve all of the loose ends, and that there were elements in the original screenplay which did not interest him very much, so he left them undeveloped. This is frustrating for viewers expecting an integrated whole. The story of the creation of this film reminded me of the genesis of David Lynch's Lost Highway. But just as that film was interesting, so is this one. If you are able to put the plot problems aside, the film has a distinctive style and is worth seeing for that reason alone. The film's title refers to a radio station frequency. It is also the number of the beast inverted. So said the director.

The first thought I had while watching was how curious it is for a film to hinge so much on pareidolia, a phenomenon that's decidedly subjective. Sometimes I saw what the camera was wanting the audience to see, and sometimes I didn't. The second thought I had while watching was how weirdly light and almost indifferent the feature is about its storytelling. In the first hal hour we're treated to a big dollop of plot, and otherwise the first hour doesn't really go anywhere, or say or do much. Broaching the one-hour mark we get another scene that portends more plot to come, though it's paired with a line ("someone must put an end to this") that's peculiar given how little has happened up to that point, or even just been discussed as having happened. And, well, other scenes in the back end serve up story that feels jumbled, or ill-fitting, or which makes leaps of logic exceeding the bounds of what came before. We do actually get a complete story, yet it's stretched very thin in some places, with some tears resulting from the cinematic calisthenics. I think there are some solid ideas in '99.9,' but they're ultimately given a form that struggles to feel cohesive, and which strips away the potential for atmosphere and dark vibes. This is sadly rather middling.

For as weakly as the picture builds its narrative in the preceding length, the reveals and climactic events to come in the last fifteen to twenty minutes seem to come out of nowhere; and the struggle for cohesiveness seems to have reached an impasse. For the first time we're getting meaningful horror, yet the incidence is so forthright and abrupt that it's just not particularly fun. For the past ninety minutes filmmaker Agustí Villaronga was no more able to summon a spark of vitality with his direction than he and co-writers Lourdes Iglesias and Jesús Regueira were able to craft a cogent, absorbing mystery, and still when all is said and done it feels like we've gotten a vague assemblage of ideas than a tableau in which those ideas have been truly connected to one another. By all means, this is well made in most regards, with admirable acting from the cast, crisp cinematography, fine stunts and effects, fetching hair and makeup, beautiful filming locations, and commendable art direction. Unfortunately, these facets generally just aren't as important to a movie as the writing and direction, and in the most important of ways '99.9' is sadly very deficient. Whatever it is you're hoping to get out of this title, I don't think you're going to find it satisfying.

I knew nothing about this when I sat to watch, and I was ready to engage with an open mind and see what it had to offer. I'm disappointed that what I saw was a conglomeration of appreciable craftsmanship adjoined with unconvincing storytelling and direction that was bereft of necessary vibrancy. I'm glad for those who get more out of this 1997 flick than I do, but I think my time would have been better spent elsewhere.