SPECTRE

Tomàs returns to his hometown after over 40 years, haunted by the specter of Moira, a mature woman who initiated him into sex when he was just a teenager. Moira was considered by all the villagers to be a witch, and she was viewed negatively for her libertine customs that had given her a bad reputation. Despite the rumors, Tomàs fell in love with her until jealousy forced him to separate from her. "Peliculas para no dormir" is a series of six TV movies produced by the Spanish Telecinco in association with Julio Fernandez's Filmax. The six films, each averaging just over an hour in length, can be considered the Spanish response to the American "Masters of Horror," as they feature a handful of short horror stories directed by well-known filmmakers in the genre. The six directors involved are: Alex De La Iglesia, Jaume Balagueró, Enrique Urbizu, Paco Plaza, Chicho Ibanez Serrador, and Mateo Gil. The title of this series can be considered a reference to a Spanish TV series that aired sporadically from 1964 to 1982 with a total of 31 episodes: "Historias para no dormir." Not all doughnuts come with holes, and this time it's fair to say so, as the excellent Spanish TV movie series "Peliculas para no dormir" features one of the weaker elements of the sextet, "Regreso a Moira." Behind the camera, we find the young Mateo Gil, screenwriter and assistant director of Alejandro Amenabar ("Tesis," "Open Your Eyes," "The Sea Inside") who here tries his hand at directing with somewhat lacking results. "Regreso a Moira" has two major flaws that affect it mainly on a narrative level: lack of originality and absence of audience engagement. The plot follows the classic coming-of-age story where the carefree adolescence is contrasted with the subsequent problems of growing up, follows the attraction to what is forbidden, the conflicted love, and the overused device of the eros/thanatos antithesis to accompany the protagonist's entry into the adult world. In short, all elements read and reread, seen so many times that they lose their effectiveness if not approached with due diligence; something that Mateo Gil does not achieve, as he uses each of these narrative components in the most predictable and banal way imaginable. Zero sparks and zero surprises, therefore, even in the pre-epilogue a bit like "Nightmare" where private justice based on angry parents and purifying torches comes to be inserted in a almost mandatory way for the need of a catalyst element inserted too late. What really doesn't work is the narrative rhythm of the story, excessively and unnecessarily stretched. The slow, almost soporific pace of the story gives the impression that the basic idea was poorly suited to the timing of the feature film; indeed, the repetitions and the flashback structure know too much of "stretched broth" and affect the inability to create dramatic and emotional tension, which is practically absent for the entire film. The entire story revolves around the two characters of Moira and Tomàs. The former, played by the talented Natalia Millán, straddles the line of ambiguity, a character constantly suspended between guilt and victimhood; the point of view shows her clearly more victim than guilty, but the doubt is always present, about her presumed esoteric practices and her relationship with the evil we know nothing, should we trust or not the rumors circulating in the village, populated by bigoted and superstitious people, therefore not reliable. Yet the status of "returning" in which the woman seems to be fuels the doubt and makes her a fascinating and complex character. On the other hand, we have Tomàs, played by the unconvincing Juan José Ballesta (young) and the unconvincing Jordi Dauder (old), a bland and unlikable protagonist with whom it is difficult to identify. Very good the warm and dreamy atmosphere, a bit nostalgic, that reminds a lot of Tornatore; on the other hand, Gil's direction is completely anonymous, too televisual in the flatness of the staging and in the rhythm. "Regreso a Moira" is therefore a misstep for "Peliculas para no dormir," a forgettable and boring drama that timidly presents some horror elements only to attract the viewer's attention. There was a lack of a solid story behind it and it shows. Pelicula para dormir. It deserves half a pumpkin more.