Killing Words

Spanish Laura Mana is an actress turned become director Her first attempt at directing resulted in the price winning comedy Compassionate Sex. In this second film, she renews the molded serial killer-genre. Forget the crazed psychopaths, liquored up cops and other stereotypes in the genre. This is a low-key drama-thriller with a small set and cast. The director, cinematographer and cast together do a superb job in creating suspense with the limited means available.
Locked in a dark basement, Laura, a psychiatrist in
her early thirties, is forced to watch a video where a man confesses to be a serial killer. He challenges Laura to play a
word game. If she wins, she gets to go free, but if she loses
he has something else in mind.
The original title of the movie, Palabras Encadenadas, is also the name of the game that killer Ramon, (brilliantly portrayed by Dario Grandinetti from Almodovar's Speak to Her) forces his victim to play. The objective of the game is to link words into a chain. It also reminds one of the intelligent narrative technique that Laura Mana uses to link her story together. Storytelling and how reality can be manipulated
are the main themes here -not only within the story itself, but also in the way it's told.
JONAS GUSTAFSSON

Orig. titel
Palabras Encadenadas: Medverkande
Dario Grandinetti,Goya Toledo,Fernando Guillén: Producent
Julio Fernández: Manus
Laura Maña: Foto
Xavier Jiménez: Musik
Francese Gener: Talat språk
Spanish