I NEED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT UGLY THINGS

Camilo Rodriguez / Chile / 29 minutes

Synopsis

While violence rages outside, Mina, a 30-year-old prostitute, locks herself in her flat with a webcam: she realised that her vagina has just disappeared.

For us, from the first viewing, « I need to talk to you about ugly things » got unanimous support!

Camilo Rodriguez’s film is powerful. If the usefulness of the missing-vagina story (put in the thick of the narration in the film’s first part, with a countdown) wasn’t initially obvious, we do think in retrospect that it must be linked with another event we won’t reveal, important for Mina’s character. Symptom or trigger? Real, imagined? Actually, everything seems to be done to oppress her as far as possible, spatially (her room) and personally (her past and present life), until absolute misery. Descent into hell is therefore very efficient: every scene turns out to be worse than the previous one, darker, seedier. Total plunge into a nightmare, societal as well as intimist.

To complete the film’s atmosphere, the form goes all out. Pictures look imbued « with fungus and humidity », as the director describes them, filmed with old digital cameras. Sound ambiance is heavy, cold, crude. You’ll end the film in a flabbergasted state, with a queasy sensation of fuzziness and filth.

The writing shouldn’t be left behind; we have to highlight the very good text— be it dialogues or monologues. And last but not least: Pamela Flores, only actress on-screen, delivers a magnificent performance, within sequence-shots catching us from first to last second. Kudos.

Conclusion

A claustrophobic and morbid piece of art, challenging for the senses and the mind, masterfully run by a determined filmmaker and a talented performer.

U.N.

« Necesito Hablarte sobre Cosas Feas » joins official selection for the Little Croco Festival’s first edition, nominated in the Thriller category.

Trailer: