Mantícora (2022)

Mantícora (2022). 1h 55m

“Nacho Sánchez plays disturbing Julián, a creature modeler for videogames who holds dark secrets . One day , he saves the life of his neighbor, a ten-year-old boy trapped by fire. When he hears the boyu0026#39;s screams, Julian doesnu0026#39;t think twice , he breaks down the door of the house and rescues the boy, whom he calms down until his mother returns home. That same night he went to the emergency hospital with serious breathing problems, but the cause was not the smoke but an intense anxiety attack.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe very personal Madrid director Carlos Vermut distributes an unsettling play about love and the monsters that surround us starring an excellent Nacho Sánchez , he plays a video game designer who suffers a trauma following a fire manifesting in a frightening obsession , his performance earned him the Feroz award for best actor , being well accompanied by the newcomer Zoe Stein who delivers a stunning acting , as well . It is a razor-sharp flick that is developed step by step , resulting in a surprising final of fateful consequences . This is an interesting film , it is both an asset and a weakness of Spanish director Carlos Vermutu0026#39;s sophomore feature , an elaborately contrived , imagination-dependent dark drama with a peculiar romance included . Rare flick , its has a few gaps and is slow-moving , but anyway, it is compensated with the great performances carried out by the two fine protagonists . Vermut assembles another , far more sinister narrative deepness , inserting it into the collective subconscious and stunning to the tiring audience and the fact is that the duration of the film is excessive, almost two hours, where practically nothing happens until it reaches a surprising and twisted ending .u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe motion picture was deliberate and slowly directed Carlos Vermut . Vermut comes to cinema from a background in comic-book illustration, and though he brings a strong visual sense to his big screen work , including his low-budget debut, u0026quot;Diamond Flashu0026quot; , though he previously made some successful Shorts . His biggest hit was ¨Magical Girl¨(2011) and also wrote ¨La abuela or The Grandmother¨ (2021) directed by Paco Plaza . This Manticora (2022) got various prizes and nominations , such as : Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain 2023 Nominee CEC Award Best Director Carlos Vermut Best Actor Nacho Sánchez , Best New Actress Zoe Stein . Cleveland International Film Festival 2023 Nominee International Narrative Competition Best Feature Film Carlos Vermut . Feroz Awards, ES 2023 Winner Feroz Award Best Poster Carlos Vermut , Best Actor in a Leading Role Nacho Sánchez Nominee Feroz Award Best Trailer Miguel A. Trudu . Fotogramas de Plata 2023 Nominee Fotogramas de Plata Best Movie Actor Nacho Sánchez . Gaudí Awards 2023 Nominee Gaudí Award Best Non-Catalan Language Film Carlos Vermut , Alex Lafuente , Pedro Hernández Santos (producer) , Best Cinematography Alana Mejía González , Best Costume Design Vinyet Escobar , Best New Performer Zoe Stein. Goya Awards 2023 Nominee Goya Best Director , Best Lead Actor Nacho Sánchez , Best New Actress Zoe Stein , Best Original Screenplay Carlos Vermut . José María Forqué Awards 2022 Nominee José María Forqué Award Best Actor Nacho Sánchez . Tokyo International Film Festival 2022 Nominee Tokyo Grand Prix Best Film Carlos Vermut. Rating : 5/10.”