The Cuckoo's Curse

A solid, if not particularly distinctive, horror thriller, which initially manages to arouse curiosity as to where it will all go. The ending is OK, and while I recall a similar motif from other films, it's not that common. What's not OK, however, is the last fifteen minutes or so, in which it all goes so fast-paced and illogical as to be ridiculous. (12/23/2023)

Wow. That was a very interesting piece from the Spaniards. An unconventional take on an interesting idea, where you have absolutely no idea what to expect, which combines the mysterious with the mystical and the ghostly, and skillfully works with tension and keeps you in suspense for some time. From the start, "something is wrong", the German couple is strange and so is the house, so you are just waiting to see what goes wrong first. The opening half is very good, the second half, once the cards are revealed, is a little less effective, but still interesting and brisk, and the ending was a little bit cringey, rushed and emotionless for me, and it spoils the final impression of the honest work with the viewer in the previous events. All in all, however, this is actually a pretty entertaining piece that benefits most from the fact that I had no idea what was going to happen. The aforementioned ending and the lack of a more colourful explanation is a pity, but otherwise, satisfaction prevails (at least for the moment). I would consider a cinema visit though, I went more out of curiosity and the feeling that the Spaniards probably won't available to download any time soon. (11/14/2023)

A passable thriller from Spain that will not blow away those who are used to Oriol Paul's masterpieces, but it will not offend either. A young couple decide to swap homes for a week with an elderly couple they met on the internet. Their house has all the luxuries and a large plot of land, but they soon discover that something is not quite right in this exchange. The twist isn't bad, though it's nothing new, and it comes soon, though. The film is slow paced, lacking any memorable scenes (it's not even very suspenseful). I expected more from it. The Spaniards are nice at spicing up the amosphere and suspense and pulling off unpleasant twists, but they don’t quite do it here. It's okay to watch, though, if you like Spanish filmmaking, you won't be disappointed, but don't expect miracles. 55% (12/21/2023)