Jaula

Well this was a pleasant surprise. Was flicking through Netflix and this movie came up. Went in not knowing anything about it. Kept me riveted and the storyline was pretty good & decently acted.

A couple driving home happen upon a young child stranded in the road. She's taken to hospital with kidney problems. No parents are located, the child isn't responsive and doesn't talk much. The couple foster her short term to aid her recovery and then little by little light is thrown upon her past & the mystery is uncovered largely by the foster mum.

It's rated horror but it's definitely thriller/suspense.

This is a mystery/drama movie which becomes a thriller movie in the second half. It's watchable and entertaining. There are no pace problems, it's not boring, it keeps your interest, there are some (not great, not bad) twists which i didn't see them coming. If you are in the mood for a movie as it was described, you will enjoy it.

However, it's flawed. I couldn't believe the things that happened, don't look for plausibility here. The ending is satisfying but it doesn't make much sense. The movie is creating a good atmosphere in the first half but, in the second half, it is losing steam. It's still watchable and kinda intense, but it could have been better.

Overall, this is not a MUST SEE movie and there are many better movies to recommend, but i didn't regret for watching this. It's slightly above mediocrity, enjoyable and not dumb.

No pun intended - and yes I understand if you have issues with the movie. With certain depictions (dramatic and otherwise) - or (re)actions of the main characters. Yes you will have to suspend your disbelief! Quite a lot - and it is putting it mildly to be honest.

That all being said, the movie will reward your patience in the end. Because there is more to it than you may think there is. And there will be twists and turns waiting for you (not all marked with chalk - well I had to, didn't I?).

So while you may cringe and pull out a few hairs - try to remember that especially in horror, people have to do certain things for other things to happen ... also there are multiple explanations to many things ... sometimes you may not even be thinking of the one that is the truest ... you may not feel it is, but the acting is more than decent. It is the characters that may annoy you ... don't blame the actors. Still really well made overall and with a finale that is able to sway your mind ... and twist it too.

Jaula surprises with a mysterious and engaging plot, but fails in the end because it becomes too convenient. Considering the character development, the final events feel more Ex-Machina than natural.

Paula and Simón are returning to their home via the highway. Things are not going well between them. In the middle of the highway, they find a lost girl. The scene itself is overblown just for entertainment and unnecessary tension.

The girl, whom they call Clara, is malnourished and has serious physical and mental problems. Through a plot mechanism, Paula decides that they should stay with her until the Authorities find Clara's parents, or at least find out what's going on.

The plot focuses on the relationship between Paula and Clara, evolving into adverse situations that hurt our conception of Clara. She has post-traumatic disorders that make us doubt her sanctity.

The plot is good, until we find out what's going on. Then things get a little bad. In a long and tedious scene, we have a formal explanation of every plot detail so far, showing us how each event played out from another point of view. Until then, we only had Paula's point of view; adding another point of view in the middle of the movie broke the imagination a little bit for me.

From this point on, things are just too convenient. I don't want to go into details that spoil the film, but I'll just say that everything, while plausible, is a little silly. I'll talk about this topic later, with spoilers.

In the end, the movie is good, satisfying, but these plot flaws force a 7 out of 10. With a little adjustment, I'd say the movie would be a near-perfect thriller, probably the fruit of a novel. In the end, we were left with just one good thriller film, recommendable, but flawed.

**WARNING: Additional notes with SPOILERS**

Paula resolves to confront the villain, unable to recognize the danger she finds herself in. I understand that she is carried away by maternal feelings, but she knows what the villain is capable of after evaluating a suspicious case; at the very least, she should be alert.

The villain, aware that Paula discovered him, does not kill her. I tolerate that, because his motive is plausible, but later not killing Paula is just plot convenience, a ruse so that everything ends well.

These events, added to the lengthy scene that explains the details of how the villain covered it all, lowered the film's rating for me.

If you're looking for high-action, big-explosive Hollywood - this movie is not for you. If you're looking for an interesting story, with a few twist, where you might have to use your brain a bit (it's not crazy difficult to figure out) than I think you'll enjoy this one.

Written in Spanish, with some small amounts of French mixed in, they've done a great job at translating it over for us English only speakers. It's actually dubbed over!! If I wanted to read an entire movie, I'd just read a book.. right?

RECOMMEND: Definitely give it a try. You're not going to find much else out there better than this. Not really a horror movie (a little bit of torture) mostly thriller, edge-of-your-seat kind of stuff. Enjoy!