2024-02-15 16:20:48
No matter how much humanity evolves, there are certain things that continue to make us feel the same disgust generation after generation. Within the kingdom of insects, cockroaches and spiders take the cake, something that cinema has been able to exploit on multiple occasions. Vermin. The plaguefirst feature film by the French director Sébastien Vanicektakes good advantage of this atavistic drive, as demonstrated in his time at festivals such as Sitges, Saint Sebastian o Skull Island.
ARACNOPHOBIA
With a simple plot, the film presents us with a snowball of terror that is supported by the increasingly numerous and uncontrolled presence of spiders in the plot. The premise presents us with a species of exotic spider, very poisonous, that reproduces at high speed and where each new generation acquires a larger size than the previous one. When this species is released in a building on the outskirts of France, the film acquires a structure of elaborate set pieces that occur one after another, seeking to gradually increase the level of tension and anxiety in the viewer. Vanicek relies precisely on the visceral reaction that these insects provoke in us to generate discomfort until the invasion is unleashed.
The director plays with the planning to make the sensation as close as possible to the viewer and to make them immersed in the situation that the protagonists are experiencing. Sequences like the one in the bathroom or the basement hallway are masterful in the use of timing and tension. Vermin: The Plague
ATTACK THE BLOCK
Although the main thing is the terrifying component of the human being against a hostile nature, the film also seeks to implement a social component and relationship between the characters so that the viewer’s involvement is greater and their emotional reaction deeper. It is not trivial that the action takes place in a building in the French suburbs or that the protagonists are young people with few options for the future or that, in the face of the infestation, everyone is besieged in the building, with the authorities restricting any possible escape.
Without overloading the inks, but without ignoring the reading, Vanicek turns spiders into a social metaphor for the barriers and prejudices that prevent these young people from escaping this situation of poverty. Less successful are the interpersonal readings between the characters. It is not that the internal conflicts between the protagonists are poorly defined, but there are times when, by developing this component, the rhythm of the action is interrupted. Fortunately, the pace of the film remains robust and pushes the viewer through this carousel of emotions without stopping too much to reflect on some of the plot’s inconsistencies (such as the absence of mobile phones).
INFESTATION
Vermin. The plague It is a very enjoyable film. He promises the viewer a spider festival and, of course, he keeps his word. The staging of Vanicek It is powerful and the dynamics of the actors are credible. Of course, as a debut film it makes us have high expectations of the filmmaker’s future works.
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