After the world went through a disaster that decimated a big part of the population. Three brothers struggle to survive in an isolated cabin deep in the woods, as they wait for their parents to come back from scouting for food and resources. Besides their daily chores, and keeping an eye out for any intruders that might come to their home, the two older brothers take care of a monster that resides in their basement.
Benjamin, the youngest of the brothers, has always been told that this monster used to roam the woods and was captured by the parents, and that it’s important to keep it locked and fed so the brothers can stay safe. But, one day, tired of being treated as a little child and kept away from the monster, Benjamin decides to see it for himself, starting a chain reaction that will change their lives forever.
And that is the premise of «Párvulos», the fifth film from Mexican director Isaac Ezban, presented yesterday in Fantasia 2024. This time, we are questioned about how far we would go for our loved ones, when the world as we know it, is pretty much gone.
I am being a little vague on purpose with the synopsis, not because I believe that giving more details will destroy the film or your chances to enjoy it. The story is quite simple and is better if you take the information little by little as it is delivered. There are some surprises here and there, but you can guess them if you pay attention to details.
As if the writers Ricardo Aguado-Fentanes and Isaac Ezban knew this, they decided to not keep the mystery for too long, which is great, because I think that said mystery is not the best part of the film, it’s what comes afterwards.
This film was a trip from beginning to end. There are several shots done with a special lens that distorts the look of the forest and seems to play tricks on you (Pardon my ignorance in matters of camera work!). The film itself has a very distinct white and gray tone as base, with some colors standing out. This reminded me of Ezban’s first two films “The Incident” and “The Similars”, so I’m wondering if this means that this tale takes place in the same universe of those stories. (There is a wink to another of his films… Let me know in the comments if you saw it!).
There were some special effects that looked gory and excellent, as well as the makeup used in the film. The music was very well used, never shadowing a moment nor spoiling a surprise that we could get in a few moments, as opposed to the many jump scares we get in other movies where everything goes silent, just to hit us at full volume seconds later.
I am a big fan of Isaac Ezban’s previous films. Having said that, sometimes his humor is a hit or miss for me, especially on his shorts. In Párvulos there are some moments where I was confused as to why some scenes that would work for a comedy were in this story, as this film felt like a serious post-apocalyptic drama. All I can tell you, without getting into spoilers, is that those scenes will make sense in the end.
I am not saying they will work for everybody, but I think that once you get all the information, you can shrug it off as another jab of Ezban’s humor, but not completely out of place. If you are a fan of his short “Nasty Stuff”, or his short «That Precious Thing» for the anthology film “Mexico Barbaro”, you will have no trouble with any of it.
The acting for the most part is very good. For some reason the acting and voice of the youngest brother, Benjamin, sounded like a dub you would find in a kid’s movie or tv show. I wonder if the actor had done some voice acting or if it’s just a coincidence. I do not mention this as a negative, I just found it interesting. There are also some lines delivered by the other two brothers that sounded very polished, and it made me wonder about those actors as well, but Benjamin just stood out for me for some reason.
At some point there are other characters introduced in the story, some to give the brothers very big problems. One of those characters is portrayed by Noé Hernandez, who I saw for the first time in “We are the flesh” and here he brings an evil and charismatic persona, someone to not mess with.
I think the film has a lot to offer, it can work both as a family drama set in a post apocalyptic world, and as a coming of age story in one of the worst environments possible. It gives a different perspective from your average post-apocalyptic movie, including the monsters that you might expect as a given trope.
While it presents a world where your chances of survival diminish day by day, with no solution to be found, the film manages to deliver a very powerful message about family, duty and hope.
Be sure to seek this film when it becomes available.
And I will be reviewing more films doing our remote coverage, so stay tuned!
