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MÁLAGA 2021

Review: The Consequences

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- Claudia Pinto plunges us into the painful secrets of a scarred family, relying on passionate actors and the innate dramatic qualities of the Canary Islands’ volcanic landscape

Review: The Consequences
Juana Acosta and María Romanillos in The Consequences

Unsettling subterranean undercurrents that are barely noticeable on the surface, an accident that sends the protagonist into a state of amnesia, and an uncommunicative family that has concealed murky truths for too long. These three pillars serve as the foundations for The Consequences [+see also:
trailer
interview: Claudia Pinto Emperador
film profile
]
, the terrific second feature by Venezuela’s Claudia Pinto Emperador, which took part in the official section of the 24th Málaga Film Festival and which, at the project stage, was selected for the third Cima Mentoring and for the San Sebastián Film Festival Co-production Forum, where it scooped the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award (see the interview).

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The very first things that surprise us about this drama dressed up as a mystery are its mature narrative, the overwhelming gracefulness of its mise-en-scène and the (only) apparent tranquillity conveyed by its beautiful images, which conceal the horror beneath the surface: unspeakable acts that its protagonists have never been brave enough to talk about, and which bore straight through their relationships, turning them into something that’s a far cry from peace and harmony.

Furthermore, Pinto has been able to rely on a phenomenal cast: it’s not often that we get to see Juana Acosta in such a tense, silent and pained register as the one she has here in the role of Fabiola, the main character, who has just suffered a massive bereavement. Her daughter, Gabi (played by first-timer María Romanillos, who won the Silver Biznaga for Best Supporting Actress at this very festival), is a teenager who has a peculiar relationship with her grandfather, César (Alfredo Castro, who was also at the Andalusian festival to present the film Karnawal [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, for which he also received an award), who, in turn, has not spoken to his seriously ill father (Héctor Alterio) for some time. The mother of the protagonist (Carme Elías, who is collaborating with the director once again) as well as her aunt (Sonia Almarcha) will also have their say in this spellbinding and highly photogenic story with hints of classic tragedy.

Most of the exteriors were filmed in the Canary Islands (specifically, on La Palma and La Gomera), whose blackened landscape betrays the devastating effects of prior eruptions, like the one that’s about to shake up the lives of the main characters in this feature. This plunge into deep-rooted pain is depicted with just the right dose of unease by Pinto, who with her first movie, La distancia más larga [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, snagged the Platino Award for Best Feature Debut in 2015 and was nominated for the Goya Award for Best Latin American Film.

The Consequences – a production between Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium – was produced by Sin Rodeos Films, Las Consecuencias AIE, N279 Entertainment, Potemkino and Érase una vez Films. It boasted the involvement of TVE, À punt media and TV3, and backing from Eurimages and Ibermedia. It will hit Spanish screens on 17 September 2021, courtesy of Syldavia Cinema. Its international sales are handled by Film Factory Entertainment.

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(Translated from Spanish)

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