Spanish terror movie that explores the psychological disintegration of a woman well played by Belen Rueda

Rating: 7/10 (8 July 2012)

Melodramatic ghost story about a woman named Laura (Belen Rueda of Alejandro Amenábar's The Sea Inside , she was the first choice for the lead from the start) with tortured soul who brings her family formed by her husband (Fernando Cayo) and adopted seven-year-old son named Simon (Roger Princep, over 400 children auditioned for the role) back to her childhood home, where she opens an orphanage for physically handicapped children . Laura is celebrating the opening of her new home when happen strange events . Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend and chime with recollections from Laura's own childhood .
Spanish horror film full of thrills , suspense , chills , intrigue and plot twists . It gives a terrifying and disturbingly adult view of childhood fears in which posses an element of melancholy . Influenced by Polanski's Repulsion , Amenabar's The others and Del Toro's Pan labyrinth , Bayona has a forensic eye for the eerie atmosphere which wreathes itself around everyday objects and domestic settings . Interesting screenplay by Sergio Sanchez revolving the mental disintegration of a woman overwhelmed by her child's disappearance . Good performance from main protagonist Belen Rueda as a possessed mature woman , along with Fernando Cayo as husband and good film debut for the little boy Roger Princep . Although uncredited, the exec producer Guillermo del Toro plays the doctor at the Emergency Ward who tends to Laura after she injures her leg. Juan Antonio Bayona wanted the film to hark back in tone to 1970s Spanish cinema , hence the casting of Geraldine Chaplin who had starred in two successful films from that period, Ana and the wolves and Cria Cuervos. The orphanage was an old colonial house in the town of Llanes , Asturias , as a lot of Juan Antonio Bayona's cinematic plans were impossible to achieve on location, several parts of the house had to be recreated on a soundstage , in fact , over 80% of the film was shot in a studio . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Oscar Faura . Thrilling as well sensible musical score by Fernando Velazquez .
Juan Antonio Bayona's affecting debut feature and was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival where it received a 10 minute standing ovation. Bayona offers an emotionally overwrought story about ghosts in unashamedly melodramatic style . This scored the biggest box office opening for a film in its native Spain, outgrossing the similarly successful Pan's Labyrinth and was the Spain's official Submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 80th Annual Academy Awards . Bayona is now filming his second movie titled ¨The impossible¨ with international stars as Ewan McGregor , Naomi Watts and again Geraldine Chaplin . Rating : Better than average , worthwhile watching .