Penumbra

Penumbra is categorized as horror but in actuality, it is more than that. It is a combination of thriller, comedy, surrealism and mystery, more than a classic horror. The mislabeling of the film as a horror movie could turn off some viewers who are waiting for creepy "ghost-horror," but only get occasional and cheap jump scares. Nevertheless, if you're just like me with no expectations in mind, this movie is a massive treat.

The best strength of this film is its unpredictability. No one could easily predict how the movie will end, what are the motives of the guests, what is Marga's true state of mind (is she crazy?), etc. The answers will just pop up with or without any premonitions.

Another aspect of the film I like is its color-grading. The color-grade looks like vintage and it suits the location of the old rickety apartment building. It also adds to the lore of the mysterious film. On the other hand, Penumbra did not shy away for comedy. Some comedic scenes really made me laugh, as executed nicely adds another element to the film which in the surface looks one-sided.

Meanwhile, the plot twists in the end are very good at first glance. It offers shock value that could haunt the viewers and leave them puzzled as some of the questions have not been solved. Unfortunately, those plot twists and unpredictability lacks foreshadowing, which in turn decreases its overall impact in the plot itself, appearing that some early scenes in the film is just a waste of time.

The movie's unpredictability is also a double edge sword that could become a liability as there are no significant storyline that the plot will go through except for the main one (about the renting of the apartment). Another problem is, the pacing of the movie is too slow, leaving the main storyline to be forsaken at the tedious middle section of the film if the viewers dozed off.

The slow pacing could be salvaged by good characterization but this film offers nothing about this aspect as well. The only interesting character with true traits is Marga and the beggar, all the other ones seem to just be put there to fulfill the plot twist in the end. Lastly, I'm not a fan of some character's acting especially Marga. It looks sloppy to me and her actions and manners are over-emphasized in some scenes. But I will not list these acting as a negative as it could be viewers' preference.

So, all in all, Penumbra is an amateurish film littered with observable flaws from characterization to pacing. The unpredictable plot is somewhat of a saving grace but its lack of foreshadowing is letting down the full potential of the story to be unleashed perfectly. Despite of this, the film could still look magnificent and entertaining at surface level, if and only if you weather the storm of its slow progression. I thought at first that Penumbra is a garbage horror movie, but once I remove the lens of being a critic, I've got nothing more to feel but enjoyment.

This is the second unique, high quality thriller I've discovered this year that turned out to be from Argentina, the first being PHASE 7. Filmmakers, the Bogliano brothers, have come a long way from their last film, a disturbing, unfocused effort entitled COLD SWEAT, about abduction and captivity at the hands of a couple of aging serial killers who murder their victims by blowing pieces of them off with nitroglycerin.

Penumbra begins as a perverse psychological thriller, builds like a mystery, then turns a crimson corner into the panic territory of violence and the occult. Along the way, we're kept guessing. One can't determine where the truth lies. Unsettling is the use of sunlight to build a sense of foreboding. So many horror films depend upon twilight and gloom to blur the line between fantasy and reality. In Penumbra, the sun itself is somehow knowing and conspiratorial.

With Penumbra, the Bogliano brothers have created something fresh and interesting. With a hint of foreshadowing, the film's cross-genre approach throws us off-balance. We don't know where this story is going, so every turn it makes is a surprise. It doesn't shock us with spine-tingling chills, but it makes us uneasy and has a genuine creep-out factor that only becomes more disturbing upon its downbeat denouement. The story keeps building and building, adding unexpected elements and creating pressure like a tensile-strength test. The situation into which the protagonist entraps herself becomes increasingly brittle. We wonder what event is going to transpire to create the inevitable sickening shatter as the bottom drops out in little pieces.

Penumbra isn't profound, but it's solid. Its characters are credible, the dialogue is simple and effective, there's no awkward exposition -the story tells itself at it unfolds. There's nothing far-fetched about the plot, which takes its cue from familiar events, but utilizes them in a such a way that we get a story which is unfamiliar. Viewers looking for a change from the routine, but who prefer an effective, conventionally-shot film that's easy to follow, will enjoy Penumbra and wish to keep an eye on future efforts from Adrián and Ramiro Bogliano.

In the story, Margo (Brondo) a Barcelona entrepreneur pursuing a project in Beunos Aires, is having a peculiar day. Everything is a little off-kilter, from canceled appointments and business ambiguities, to just plain odd run-ins with panhandling soothsayers which escalate into misunderstandings with the authorities. Throughout it all flows a droll undercurrent of the absurd, as if the day can't get any weirder, that later it will be merely an anecdote to be laughed at. Adding to the irksome ambiance is a blazing white-hot solar furnace in a cloudless, azure sky. It's hot today, and unusually bright. Margo's not the only one to notice it. Something strange and troublesome is in the air as the sun makes its way toward a scheduled total eclipse.

Margo has invested in an apartment which she is showing. There's a quality that's not quite right about the prospective tenants. They're stalling, and while receiving them, Margo's keys disappear. Her cellphone minutes vanish. Because the door to the security building locks both ways. Margo can't get out, and help can't get in. Her clients begin to behave increasingly strangely. They are determined to buy. Margo is fiercely intent to sell. So why then can't they seem to finalize the transaction? A chain of events transpires, each in quick succession, yet the afternoon drags by. Margo begins to languish, and it's as if the day's events are suspended in a timeless ether, going nowhere -slowly. Other things start to go disturbingly wrong. Strange noises, a neighbor may be trying to drug or poison Margo, and the apartment's pantry door is stuck. Through the keyhole, Margo can see an oblong burlap bundle. Is it moving? Is she going mad? Something funny is going on, but Margo's not laughing. In fact, there's something funny about the apartment itself. It has a history which predates the very edifice, a secret, which obfuscated in the shadows of masonry and mortar for ages, has been waiting to reveal itself in the affirming light of some sunny day.

And look! The sun is coming up!

So many movies get great reviews on here like The Witch and Heredity. Glowing reviews, the future of horror I am told, but those movies were awful. This movie only has 11 user reviews and it was very enjoyable. The acting and story were both good, but this movie barely gets any play... sad.

As in the previous Bogliano's film -Sudor Frío-, Penumbra's Script is simply horrible. The movie is boring, and in the first 30 or 40 minutes, with the only exception of a flawless attack scene at the first minute of the movie, it seems more like a bad "artie" film in which nothing happens than a Horror/Thriller/Fantasy movie. During the entire movie the dialogs are extremely long (aaaaghhhhh, extreeeemelyyyy long!!!), expository, and unnatural. The attempt to keep mystery and reveal the plot essence gradually failed totally, obtaining a very unattractive and dull development of the events.

The acting of "Berta" Muñiz is awful and the one of Camila Bordonaba is poor too. Different is the case of Arnaldo Andre's performance, but his character is not exploited enough in the film. At this point is obvious that Bogliano believes acting is not important in Horror films.

Like in Sudor Frío, in Penumbra Bogliano underestimates and miss the erotic aspect, so appropriate at Horror Thrillers. Penumbra has a Plot linked with a Cult-like small group, the main characters are most of the time inside the same apartment, and above all it's an empty-plot bad- filmed silly movie, so some scenes of dark, nasty sex and erotic playing would have been absolutely suitable.

It's important to stress that (unlike the rest of Bogliano's works) Penumbra is not such a Horror movie, but more close to a tepid film about people settling a rent contract for an apartment.

I was mesmerized. I don't speak the language and the subtitles were a little distracting, and I still loved this production! I loved the use of light and shadows and the music was right on point. The Actors were great and the script was sound. Is this in "dubbed" version. If so I'd watch it again. BRAVO . THANX kmd