The Hidden Face

A Spanish orchestra conductor (Quim Gutierrez) deals with the mysterious disappearance of his girlfriend (Clara Lago).

I wish that IMDb had half stars, because I was torn between a 7 and an 8. I usually reserve the 8 for the top notch films, but this film was just so close to that mark I feel bad giving it a 7. Definitely one of the most suspenseful films in recent memory.

The imagery is solid, the terror real and plausible. There is nothing in this film that could not happen in real life, and if you dread isolation, starvation or claustrophobia... this may bother you. It is a very strong film with no perfect characters -- the emotions here are also real and very mixed, just like real life.

I was a little torn on the nudity and sexuality. At first, I felt it was a bit much. But as the film went on, I realized that the nudity was not there for an exploitative reason and actually plays an important role as the film goes on. (I cannot really explain further, but I will say it adds to the emotional trauma.) I am grateful to Fox World Cinema for picking this one up -- a real gem.