Marco Castellini
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The Verdict
Five years after the presumed murder of her daughter, Claudia receives a disturbing phone call that once again disrupts her existence: "Mom, it's me, come get me." The young mother's hope is rekindled. She contacts the police officer who had handled the case at the time and, with the help of a journalist experienced in the occult, begins a frantic and convoluted investigation to find her daughter.
Five years after the presumed murder of her daughter, Claudia receives a disturbing phone call that once again disrupts her existence: "Mom, it's me, come get me." The young mother's hope is rekindled. She contacts the police officer who had handled the case at the time and, with the help of a journalist experienced in the occult, begins a frantic and convoluted investigation to find her daughter. The mysterious story is somehow linked to the "Nameless" sect...
It all begins with a kidnapped child and the discovery of a mutilated body; from the start, the viewer is confronted with a terrible and atrocious horror, perfectly depicted by the violated body of a child, all in a staging that closely resembles the murders in "Seven" by David Fincher.
An obsessive and unsettling musical theme perfectly accompanies the first, excellent, minutes of the film; the real problem comes later. After such a strong and intense beginning, the film gradually loses its way, and in several passages it dwells on explanations and circumlocutions that add nothing to the plot and inevitably weigh down the pace, leaving the viewer in constant anticipation of something that seems about to happen at any moment but is then repeatedly delayed. The ending, though original and visually well-crafted, is resolved too hastily and proves less unsettling than one might have expected.
However, this "Nameless" has all the elements to spark the viewer's anxiety and curiosity: persistent fear, anguish, distrust of everyone, the inclusion of rapid subliminal images to trigger brief shock moments, an almost aggressive use of sound.
Adapted from the eponymous work by Ramsey Campbell, a famous British author of horror novels, the film develops the psychological and perverse fear that is the hallmark of the novel it is based on quite well. Excellent performances, especially the convincing protagonist Emma Vilarasau.
Given the slew of awards this film by Balagueró has garnered at various genre festivals and reviews it has participated in—including the one for Best Film at the 2000 Fantafestival in Rome—more was frankly expected; certainly, it is a good thriller-horror that, at times, manages to be unsettling but, overall, does not stand out from the average quality.
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