Anathema (film) explained

Native Name:
Nolink:yes
Director:Jimina Sabadú
Cinematography:Luis Ángel Pérez
Music:Vanessa Garde
Distributor:Sony Pictures International Productions
Country:Spain
Language:Spanish

Anathema[1] (es|'''Anatema'''|links=no) is a 2024 Spanish Gothic horror film directed by (in her directorial debut feature) and written by Sabadú and Elio Quiroga. It stars Leonor Watling alongside Pablo Derqui, Keren Hapuc, and Jaime Ordóñez.

Plot

Acting on behalf of the Archdiocese, hard-boiled nun sor Juana gets into a church in Old Madrid built over a maze of underground passages, finding that Evil has taken roots.[2]

Production

The screenplay was written by and Elio Quiroga. Sabadú stated that the film "is a story of Gothic horror with roots rooted in the most ancestral Madrid, that of passages and lost architectures". The film is a Pokeepsie Films production, and it had the association of Sony Pictures International Productions and the participation of Prime Video.[3] It was lensed by Luis Ángel Pérez.[4] Shooting locations in Madrid and Bizkaia included Bilbao and the in Karrantza.[5]

Release

The film was selected for a special screening at Tokyo's Latin Beat Film Festival (LBFF) on 2 November 2024.[6] It is scheduled to be released theatrically in Spain on 8 November 2024.[7] [8]

Reception

Carmen L. Lobo of La Razón rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, positively highlighting Watling's dedicated performance and the supernatural entities' looks, while negatively mentioning some somewhat jarring lines and mawkish ending.[9]

Philipp Engel of Cinemanía rated the film 3½ out of 5 stars, writing that "all is well on its costumbrista side", which can be encapsulated in the phrase "blacker than Pantoja's hair", pronounced by one of the characters.[10]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The City of Madrid was the setting for 41 films, 55 series and more than 410 commercials in 2023. Madrid Film Office. Madrid Destino Cultura Turismo y Negocio S.A.. 9 February 2024.
  2. Web site: Álex de la Iglesia produce Anatema, la ópera prima de Jimina Sabadú. Cineuropa. 29 March 2023. Alfonso. Rivera.
  3. Web site: El rodaje de 'Anatema', dirigida por Jimina Sabadú, llega a Bilbao. Europa Press. 12 April 2023.
  4. Web site: Se está rodando ‘Anatema’, el tercer título de The Fear Collection. Camera and Light Mag.
  5. Web site: ‘Anatema’, una peli de terror gótico con Bizkaia como uno de sus enclaves. Deia. Sara. Cabrera. 20 July 2023.
  6. Web site: 特別企画上映. 11/2(土)、11/3(日). Latin Beat Film Festival. 2 November 2024.
  7. Web site: Las 20 películas españolas que más nos apetece ver en 2024. Cinemanía. 20minutos.es. 29 December 2023.
  8. Web site: Calendario de estrenos Sony. 26 September 2024. Sony Pictures España.
  9. Web site: La Razón. Crítica de "Anatema": de Madrid al infierno ★★★. 8 November 2024. Carmen L.. Lobo.
  10. Web site: Crítica de 'Anatema': una de criaturas infernales tan negra como el pelo de la Pantoja. Cinemanía. Philipp. Engel. 7 November 2024.