 | MOVIE DETAILS • Name: Amigo • Year: 2019 • Country: Spain • Director: Óscar Martín • Main cast: Javier Botet, David Pareja, Esther Gimeno, Patricia Estremera • Runtime: 85 minutes • Production company: El Ojo Mecanico • TRAILER
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Okay, I bet everybody here knows Javier Botet, one of the best monster performers of the decade, taking part in movies like Mama (2013), The Conjuring 2 (2016), Don’t Knock Twice (2016), It (2017) and its sequel It Chapter Two (2019), Insidious: The Last Key (2018), Mara (2018) and many many more. Most of the people know him in his scary prosthetic suits, playing creepy creatures making inhuman moves, but not many movie audience members have seen him acting with his clean face. Also, he is an accomplished comedian and one of the funniest guys in the industry, that’s why when I heard he was starring in a movie like Amigo (2019) I knew I had to attend to its screening.
David Pareja has been the comedy partner of Javier Botet for many years and on many platforms. Oh, how much I’ve laughed with some of their short Vine clips, or other short films that have been released on Youtube. Besides, he played one of the main characters of Spanish horror-comedy Killing God (2017) (aka Matar A Dios in original Spanish language) [read our review here], which to me was the best strength of the movie. David Pareja and Javier Botet together in a feature movie, with them being also the authors of the screenplay together with the debutant director Óscar Martín, again more than enough reasons to see this movie.
After this introduction I guess you can believe that I was expecting some sort of crazy comedy full of surreal situations and cracking dumbshit jokes. But I was wrong. Amigo (2019) has a little dosage of comedy, (with the star duo it is impossible to avoid it), but it’s very dark humor.
Starred mainly by the 2 characters played by Javier Botet and David Pareja, Amigo (2019) is a very dramatic story about two best buddies that due to an unfortunate accident one of them has to take care of his crippled friend. The movie is beautifully shot in its simplicity, with no extra paraphernalia, which even gives it a more raw and intense touch. Those images, the acting, the calmed and tense pace of the narration, one can feel like being also standing inside that house, being another roommate of the two hapless friends. When it all is wellness, tenderness and pity from David towards his damaged best pal Javi. But also when things go awry.
Amigo (2019) is a dark, oppressive and disturbing psychological thriller. And the power of the movie resides in the fact that the situation the two friends are living could happen to anyone. It doesn’t matter where or who, accidents happen, real friends are meant to be friends forever, but life is cruel. That, surrounded by a near-perfect work of the director Óscar Martín and the great job of the two main actors Javier Botet and David Pareja, make the movie being a deliciously perturbing experience. The butcher becomes the victim, your best friend becomes your worst enemy, and we all are there staring at the screen seeing how the situation is getting worse and worse with nothing to do but to know this can not end well. Those two friends, initially one taking care of the other, sharing pure love, compassion and friendship, are doomed to destroy themselves.
You don’t need creepy monsters and supernatural beings to build a pure horror film. Even if you cast one of the best creature characters nowadays. You only need to have the skills to reflect the horrors of real life. No artifices, no special effects, no strange tricks. Life and mankind are scary enough. Nominated for Best Film in several horror film festivals like Fantastic Fest, Molins Film Festival and Sitges Film Festival, Amigo (2019) is one of the hidden jewels of the year that must be discovered.
RATE: 7/10
IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt10524364
