“My legs are still trembling.”
Today’s movie is famous for winning a ridiculous half-million dollar YouTube short film prize at the Venice Film Festival. While I’m not sure that it’s as good as all that, La Culpa, translated as The Guilt, is at least worthy of consideration.
Carlus Fàbrega stars as a man who’s wife was killed in a random mugging just minutes after he learned that she was pregnant. As the film begins he is outside the mugger’s apartment, steeling himself for revenge. The film mixes the core of a revenge thriller with deeper metaphysical and fantastic elements. As writer/director David Victori explores the cyclical nature of violence and revenge, while at the same time showing us exactly why someone would want to go to such lengths.
The film is fueled by powerful acting from Fàbrega who’s tasked with portraying a wide swath of emotion in the fifteen minute short. It takes fantastic advantage of a fantastic location to tell a story with a message that, while somewhat trite, is creatively told. I certainly look forward to seeing Victori has in store for us in the future.
I seriously considered calling The Guilt, a must see film, but I ultimately concluded that it doesn’t quite get there. The supporting characters are a little too bare-bones and the core of the film is a little too easy a message to really transcend to greatness in such little time. Still, the film is a genuine cinematic experience, it made me feel something, and it’s absolutely worth seeing.
[The Guilt (La Culpa) - Directed by David Victori - Not Rated]
