Trauma

I like gore movies and this one was reputed to be extreme. But it is very bad. The protagonists and their decisions throughout the film are stupid. Actresses' performances are appalling and unbelievable, especially in torture scenes. There is the typical absurdly indestructible villain. I thought the movie would be more grotesque, but I even found it soft, except for a couple of scenes. Something positive is the music. I do not recommend it.

The premise of the movie is strong, and the overall production is good, but while I'm fairly desensitized to graphic violence, the rape scene was sickening, excruciatingly long, and unnecessarily graphic. The direction of the scene doesn't waver in terms of the brutality and that the women are tragic victims; nevertheless, I felt it was over the top to a point that I had to ask why.

The introductory scene of Juan as a young man, which also is the opening scene of the film, also was intensely disturbing. I'm on the fence as to whether it was gratuitous or not. I know the Chilean revolution of the '70s was exceptionally brutal and violent, so perhaps it's necessary thematically. I don't think viewers from the United States are willing to tolerate that level of visceral, grotesque brutality on the screen, however.

The film is overall very dark and difficult to tolerate at times, in my opinion, and I sort of wish I hadn't watched it.

Wasnt sure how to rate this film,if you can get past first 4 minutes, you ll make the rest of it...its definitely up there, as far as exploitation n violence.......gotta b in your wheelhouse..

Well let me start by saying it's not as bad as people think it is. Its brutal but not bad. Good story, Great effects, and good acting. "A Serbian Film" is much worse.

Anyway .. not for the faint of heart though. And not a movie you should see with your parents or a first date type of deal. Unless she or he is into those type of movies.

You ever see a film so terribly bad that once it's over, you immediately forget everything that transpired, almost completely scrubbing it from your memory? Years later, you hear these people online who discover it, claiming it's "as disturbing as a Serbian Film", and you think, "I HAVE to watch that!!", forgetting you had already seen it, hated it, and forgot all about it? Then you press play and you think, "Hmmm, this looks strangely familiar. I've seen this before, but maybe it was just a part used in the trailer...?" Then the actors start delivering their lines with all of the aplomb of a High School play, and you start to think to you yourself, "Wait a minute, did I see this?". Then when it finally hits you that you DID this trash and you sadly pick up the remote, press stop, and hang your head in shame for having wasted 20 minutes of your life doing all of this, 20 minutes you will NEVER, EVER get back?

No? So it's just me then?