Óscar Aibar’s The Forest is the tragic story of a couple caught up in the Anarchist rebellion of 1963… and the inter-dimensional portal that opens in their field. The Forest is a clever, moving and interesting film that follows in the glorified footsteps of Pan’s Labyrinth although it struggles to match the greatness of its predecessor.
Twice a year, for seemingly no reason, an ethereal blue orb appears amongst a grove of trees near the house of Ramon (Àlex Brendemühl) and Dora (Maria Molins). Ramon was warned as a child to never approach the light, which leads to a world of devils, but when a rebellion begins in the town of Aragon and Ramon’s life is threatened, he escapes into that other universe. Dora is left to watch over the house and their baby daughter, with Ramon popping back every time the portal opens again.
This is the sort of magical, yet painfully realistic film that Gabriel Garciá Marquez (author of One Hundred Years of Solitude) would be proud of. The Spanish civil war drama and other-worldly adventure eventually become inseparable. It’s as if you’re watching a true, but ultimately very strange story. That grove of trees is always there, even among the gunfire and looting. It takes on the quality of a living character, like a silent and quite alien guardian angel.
Brendemühl is a powerful, but ultimately bland, presence on screen. He does spend most the film in another universe though, allowing Maria Molins to be the real star of the show. Molins took away Best Female Lead at the Gaudi Awards for this role and deservedly so. She’s understated yet emotive, powerful in her own way, but also delicate and caring. Pere Ponce, who plays the leader of the Anarchists, Coixo, also deserves mention, managing to pull off the cunning character well. The casting in this film is top notch, even if just going by appearance. Josep Maria Domènech plays the wizened alcoholic with a heart of gold, Fusteret. Just the way he carries himself is a great expression of character.
As with almost every other aspect of the film, the CGI special effects, and outlandishness of the portal in general, are never overdone. The strange fruit that Ramon brings back are incredibly well made and, if it weren’t for the blue gunk inside them, you might think they were real fruit. The creators of this film have put a lot of work into making aliens and cosmic anomalies seem part of everyday life which, for some reason, makes them all the more interesting.
There will definitely be more civil war movies. There will definitely be more historical dramas. But I doubt we’ll see many more films that combine that with 8-foot fish-men who live in houses shaped like asparagus.
Reviewed by James Rudd
Rating out of 10: 6
The Forest screened as part of the 17th annual Spanish Film Festival, exclusively at the Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas.
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