Fever Dream

You can tell the negative reviewers were expecting a "horror movie" with "scares." Fever Dream is not a spooky ghost movie. It's a psychological drama with an element of magical realism. The story is very coherent and very clearly explained; it would only be confusing to someone who thinks "supernatural" elements must fit into a well established trope, like a curse or a haunting. The original novella had a more surreal, more disturbing sense of desperation, confusion and sadness that would be difficult to translate to film, and they didn't fully do it justice, but it's still competently made. Bottom line is that the book was better but the bad reviews are still mostly just clueless.

I've never watched a movie with a rate under 6, but I'm making an exception for this. I like the storyline which makes me curious what happens next, even though makes me confused at the same time, but I don't really like the sad ending.

Fever Dream: a tale of a sickness upon the land, poisoned water, affecting horses and humans. Also a story about friendship and maternal love, and hate. A folk healer can "cure" the afflicted but at a cost. It involves the transmigration of spirits. This causes the "cured" (especially children) to act like changelings even appear like monsters to their loved ones. The horror here is predominately psychological but is no less effective than the gore/shock variety. The film does require close attention and perhaps even a second viewing but all the answers you seek to solve the mystery are within it. Not everything is as it seems at first glance and some characters show unexpected depths. An Eco-Folk Horror tale which you won't forget in a hurry. Directed by Claudia Llosa, adapted by Llosa and Samanta Schweblin from Schweblin's novel. On Netflix. 8/10.

Fever dreams ... or crazy reality? And caused by what exactly? I am still rather confused by many things depicted by the movie. That may be enticing or it may be annoying to you. Depending on how much time and will you have to fully take this in and digest it ... well that will determine how much you probably will like it.

You can't just watch this while doing something else. Like having your phone and doing stuff on it while "watching" the movie. I have done this with lesser titles, so I am not judging. Some movies are more than predictable and do not really glue you to the screen. This is different ...

Starts out mysterious and great. But shuts down and ends before ever beginning. Explanations left short and cut and suddenly the build up we've been expecting ends. It never evolves. And then it's just over.