Magic Magic

Magic Magic is being pushed as a psychological thriller and horror ..... that is doing this movie a great injustice.

From the very start we know Alicia has an emotional problem and that Sara has an ulterior motive to back out of the trip at the last minute. Just what Alicia's emotional problem is, the viewer does not know and why Sara backs out of the trip into the country side is not made clear. What is made clear is that Alicia is very depended on Sara ---- especially in this foreign country traveling with people Alicia has never met and going to a distant area of Chile.

We do not know anything about theses peoples past so the viewer must go with what is presented to them for insight into their character. For me they came across as just young indulgent unexperienced youths. When they realize Alicia has a few problems they just ignore her issues because she will have to adjust on her own. Sara says she'll be there later and the broken line of communication among the youths will be mended. That doesn't happen.

When the group realizes, too late, that Alicia has greater problems than they are capable to handle, what do they do, they give her pills because thats how modern society treats emotional problems. The problem intensifies with Alicia having taken too many pills and is easily confused .... or is she desperate to fit in with the group? We the viewer cannot tell either, we are equally confused as Alicia. When Sara finally does arrive Alicia has already crossed the line into a state of confusion but Sara cannot see it, at first. When the problem with Alicia becomes dangerous and threatening Alicia is taken to a local witch doctor who's only remedy is the use of ancient indigenous rituals which is useless to Alicia and all involved with her.

This movie is more about the clash of ancient and modern cultural norms in treating someone with obvious medical needs. Here are a group of inexperienced youths raised in a modern world but facing a threatening and dangerous situation with only old world medical practice available to them. They find themselves caught between to conflicting worlds.

Juno Temple plays Alicia, a young American woman who has traveled to South America to share some adventures with her cousin, Sarah, played by Emily Browning. Sarah introduces Alicia to her boyfriend, Agustín, who is currently studying hypnotism, his sister, Barbara, and their mutual American friend, Brink, played by Michael Cera. Together the five of them begin to head for a remote island off the coast of Chile when Sarah is called to return to the city. Alicia then finds herself alone with her cousin's four friends, who speak more Spanish than English, in an unfamiliar land. As culture shock sets in, insomnia and paranoia take control as Brink desperately tries to seduce the emotionally unstable Alicia.

The chaos captured in the film is enough to induce a panic attack in some unsuspecting audience members. This is far from a fun film to watch, do not be fooled by Michael Cera's name. Cera does play the perfect creep though and is a surprisingly good antagonist, even if only in Alicia's perspective. Those looking for Michael Cera comedy in a horror flick are going to hate this. This is an indie psychological drama that will win over film festivals but the majority will despise it for being so obscure and frustrating to watch. No matter how good the film does get, the ending will leave you feeling a little cheated. But perhaps that is the point.

Magic Magic is a well-crafted nightmare in the shell of a story that could have been a romantic comedy adventure. There is so much that could be said to be wrong with the film and yet all the wrongs helped portray a mental breakdown better. It's a heart-breaking story that most people are never going to want to witness again, even if they liked the film.

The shots are good. The acting is good. The scripts ok. Nothing really happens other than witnessing our lead character, Alicias descent into full blown manic depression and hyoer paranoia.

If youre into deep dark displays of mental breakdowns, then you will enjoy. If youre after a fun film, move along. This isnt for you.

"She's not a bad person, I know her, she just needs a doctor for her hand." Alicia (Temple) is a young woman travels to Chile to visit her cousin and her friends. While there the friends begin to make her feel uncomfortable and she wants nothing more then to leave. What starts off as a fun vacation for her soon starts to unravel and becomes something out of a nightmare, for everyone. I will admit that I was kind of looking forward to this mainly for the fact that it looked like Michael Cera was playing a creepy bad guy. Without ruining anything he's not a bad guy but this is a very different part for him. I have to say that Juno Temple was great in this and should get some type of award. As far as the movie, from the opening shot the movie made you feel a little uncomfortable and never really let up at all. The camera work and the acting really leaves you feeling unable to relax and because of that the movie reaches a level of creepiness I wasn't ready for. Watching Temple start to unravel is mesmerizing and when the end finally comes you are left stunned and not sure what to make of what you just saw. A movie that leaves you thinking and wondering to me is the sign of a good movie. Overall, a movie that really comes out of nowhere and makes you feel uncomfortable the whole time, which in this case is a good thing. I give it a B+.

Long Story Short: The Story evolves around Alicia (Juno Temple) – an emotionally fragile young woman, who visits her cousin Sarah (Emily Browning) in Chile. Together with Sarah's boyfriend Agustín (Agustín Silva), Agustín's sister Barbara (Catalina Sandina Moreno), and their very strange friend Brink (Michael Cera) they travel to the countryside. But things aren't as pleasant as they are supposed to be, and especially Brink turns out to be very insensitive and doesn't show any sympathy for Alicia retentiveness. What was meant to be a relaxing vacation for Alicia soon turns into a horrifying experience.

Review: Magic Magic is often advertised as a horror movie, however, I would say it's more of a psychological thriller with a very dark and intense undertone. Juno Temple is giving a master performance, her acting is on point and very disturbing. Michael Cera plays this psycho, who shows not only anti-social but also sadistic tendencies, and everyone was wondering if he would be able to portray a character like Brink. I think he did great, but at the same time, he annoyed the living hell out of me. The camera-work is stunning, and the landscape shots are beautiful. The movie starts very strong and interesting, but leaves you clueless not only until the end, but even past that. There is absolutely no conclusion, the audience is completely left in the dark, and even though the tension and suspense rises it turns out to be a thick cloud of confusion. It seems like someone came up with a good idea but ran out of time to write a satisfying ending. So let's just end it somehow, because at the end of the day indie movies are supposed to keep you guessing and that's what makes them artistic. Not true. Furthermore, character development is hardly existing, and even if Juno Temple convinced with her performance, I couldn't relate to her character because I didn't know enough about her. Magic Magic is not a bad movie but towards the end there are just too many questions unanswered, which might be very unsatisfying.