MandarinaMelies

We could say that 'Diablo Rojo PTY' is a baroque film, an audiovisual experiment that combines witches, witches who turn into demons, indigenous cannibals, Catholicism, teleportation, and the torment of the ghosts of the past.

In essence, it is a story of men harassed by witches, but the film strays almost at all times from the genre codes associated with that kind of plot. The music seems taken from an episode of Bugs Bunny, or one of the first Disney feature films. The influence of the Latin American soap opera is also noticeable, not only in the sentimental subplot, but also in the acting style, in the dialogues (although seasoned with a very realistic vulgar local language) and in the repetition of ideas and situations. The characterization of the witches is a hybrid between the 'Xena: Warrior Princess' series and a 'Kiss' or 'Mötley Crüe' show.

On the other hand, the erratic plot and sometimes slow action could be identified with some Jess Franco movies. Perhaps, a blend between Jess Franco and the telenovela 'María, la del barrio' is a quite enlightening way of defining this difficult-to-define film.

"El abrazo de la serpiente" is a film of sublime quality, as it had not been seen in South America for a long time. And this is saying a lot, given that South America is going through a very good moment in terms of the level of its film productions. The recreation of the historical period is perfect. We do not know exactly how things looked at that time, or how people behaved. But that does not matter. The important thing is that this movie makes you feel like you are there. The sound design is simply beautiful and touching. The photography is impeccable. An epic artistic work manipulating lights and shadows to strengthen the story. The plot is solid, touching, mobilizing, and at the same time leaves the audience full of deep dilemmas. Above all, it stands out what the actors and the director achieve in terms of performances. Every gesture, every word, every sigh of the characters has an infinite truth.

854/5000 The plot is weak, obvious and superficial. The script permanently appeals to gross maneuvers to "educate" the audience, teach them such elementary things as 'abuse is wrong' or 'it is important to listen to your daughters'. The cinematography is very poor. The DP is definitely an animal without aesthetic sensibility or attention to detail. Camera work and color grading are also quite amateur. The acting performance varies. Some actors are fairly good, others are pathetic. José Campusano is a filmmaker of a certain talent, not too much, who was excessively exalted by Argentine critics fifteen years ago, and dedicated himself to repeating again and again the formula with which he had obtained that initial impact. His films are, in general, quite mediocre. But "El silencio a gritos" is notoriously the worst.