Jogo de Palavras (2003)

A mild-mannered psychopath plays mind-games with a woman he has tied to a chair in his basement.

Director:

Laura Mañá

Writers:

Fernando de Felipe (screenplay), Laura Mañá (with the collaboration of)

Stars:

Darío Grandinetti, Goya Toledo, Fernando Guillén

7 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Darío Grandinetti	...	Ramón (as Dario Grandinetti)
Goya Toledo	...	Laura
Fernando Guillén	...	Espinosa (as Fernando Guillen)
Eric Bonicatto	...	Sánchez
Blanca Apilánez	...	Poli 1 (as Blanca Apilanez)
Alex Brull	...	Agente 1
Mariona Perrier	...	Madre de Ramón
Alexis Hill	...	Alumno con Problemas
Àngels Sirvent	...	Señora Jauregui (as Angels Sirvent)
Susana Querol	...	Abogada (Laura)
Mikele	...	Abogado (Ramón)
Arturo Matamoros	...	Juez
Germán José	...	Agente Ascensor
Robert Forcadell	...	Inspector Ascensor

Storyline

Locked in a dark basement, Laura, a psychiatrist in her early thirties, contemplates in horror a video where a man confesses to be a serial killer. His name is Ramón, an apparently normal man in his forties, who seems to be quite harmless. Gagged and bound to a chair, Laura realizes that it's the same person who kidnapped her and who is now pacing in the shadows. Ramón continues to speak as he turns off the television. He walks over to her, takes off the gag and challenges Laura to play the "Word Game". If she wins, she gets to go free, but if she loses, he'll poke out her eye. Laura is terrified, but reluctantly accepts. The game begins. Laura makes a mistake. Ramón menacingly moves towards her. Laura's screams are useless.

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Plot Keywords:

abduction | tape over mouth | gagged | kidnapper kidnapped relationship | basement | 

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Taglines:

El juego más inocente puede convertirse en el más peligroso... (The most innocent game can become the most dangerous...)

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Ramón: September 19th, 1997. Hello! First I ought to say a little about myself. I'm forty-two years old, I've lived a very normal life. My childhood and adolescence were uneventful. I was a brilliant student, and I grew up in a perfectly normal family. My father died five years ago, a year after my wedding. He had Alzheimer's, a nasty disease. My mother is still alive. I married a girl who was... normal. We separated after 19 months. I can't say exactly why we separated, but the truth is ...

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Soundtracks

You Don't Love Me
Written by Lloyd C. Glenn, Don Albert and Louis Cottrell (as Louis A. Cottrell)
EMI Catalogue Partnership/EMI Unart Catalog Inc/EMI Songs España, Srl
from the album "Because of You"
Performed by Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment (Spain) S.A.

User Reviews

Not what one expected but well worth it.

I am a big fan of being scared whilst watching films. That's why "Killing Words" was so appealing not only because of the r18 certificate but also because the cover had a chilling beckoning that drew me towards it.

The film started slowly however as the story unfolded it could only be compared to the ranks of the sixth sense with the twist that was only revealed at the very end after drawing me deep into it's chilling premise.

Beautifully directed with nothing spelled out blatantly which keeps the element of surprise and the characters are both beautifully acted and masterfully written.

An intense directing style which doesn't always need a fast pace to enthrall but simply keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what the hell is going to happen next.

You will draw your own conclusions as to the ending of this film.

But you will be wrong.

A must see - Ash out.

Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

30 April 2003 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Jogo de Palavras

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

EUR1,900,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$188,500

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vía Digital, Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales (ICAA), ICF Institut Català de Finances

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min (Fantasy Film Fest)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1