Ellos volvieron - The returnees
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Ellos volvieron - The returnees |
| Original title | Ellos volvieron |
| Country of production | Argentina |
| original language | Spanish |
| Publishing year | 2014 |
| length | 96 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Iván Noel |
| script | Iván Noel |
| production | Iván Noel |
| music | Iván Noel |
| camera | Iván Noel, Marcos Rostagno |
| cut | Guy Ducker |
| occupation | |
| |
Ellos volvieron - The Returnees (Spanish original title: Ellos volvieron , "They returned") is a 2014 Argentinian film by Iván Noel .
action
In a small Argentine town, three primary school-age children disappear and after a search, they turn up at their parents' homes by themselves, naked, with external injuries and apparently in shock. Federal Police Inspector Cohen is then sent to investigate the case, along with the mayor, judge, school director and school psychologist. Since the children were sexually mutilated, a sexual offense is assumed. In the city that was formerly controlled by the escaped Nazi family Himmel, suspicions are making the rounds, especially regarding the descendants of the Nazis. Especially the mother of one of the children, Lucio, is in severe shock.
The investigation quickly focuses on the old, dilapidated hospital, which the pastor describes as the moral dump of the whole city and which the children use as a playground. There is also the old heaven, which people avoid and is crazy. Shortly after the events, there is an incident in which Heaven falls to his death after meeting the three children. It is unclear whether he jumped or was pushed himself. The inspector also finds out that Lucio's grandfather once owned the hospital and its land, but was then expropriated by the city, which was to build a new hospital. However, according to Lucios mother, the state funds were embezzled by the mayor and judge and when her father complained against it, he ended up in prison.
The children's teacher, who has only been in town for two years, is suspected of being involved. However, he suspects a lot more behind the incident and reveals to the inspector and the school psychologist that this is about something evil from which the children of the city are suffering and that this evil must be corrected. The children are actually already dead, only their souls have returned. Meanwhile, the mayor and school director decide that the children should be sent to a closed institution to end the negative media coverage of the city. But when the mayor meets Lucio one night, he collapses in the middle of the street and is run over by a car. The inspector asks the judge to provide the files on the expropriation of the hospital, which makes the judge very angry. Lucio's mother is more and more desperate about her son's condition and seeks help from the school psychologist.
There are more deaths: First the school principal is killed by a falling basketball hoop in the schoolyard, under the indifferent gaze of the children, then the judge suddenly collapses during a public appearance with an unusually heavy nosebleed. The school psychologist hangs herself after both children and the teacher have clearly told her to do so. The inspector's attention has meanwhile been drawn to the last lover of Lucio's mother and he starts looking for his caravan. Meanwhile, Lucio and the two other children have already tracked down the man and flashbacks show how he suffocated the children one after the other in the old hospital and then left them lying there naked. Their wounds were then inflicted on them by stray dogs. He murdered Lucio because he was a result of inbreeding: his grandfather had fathered him with his mother. The children get the man to accelerate with his caravan on a mountain road and finally to fall into the depths under the observation of the inspector and the teacher.
Production and publication
After Limbo - Children of the Night , Ellos volvieron is Noel's sixth film and the third Argentinian one. Like its predecessor, it was shot in the province of Cordoba . The low budget production cost about $ 50,000. Two of the actors had previously worked with Noel: Romina Pinto in Vuelve and Lauro Verón in Limbo . Jorge Booth joined as professional actors as inspector and Edmee Arán as judge.
The film was released in 2014 on the British DVD label One Eyed Films under the title The Returned . It had its world premiere in Tours at the Mauvais Genre Film Festival 2015 and was also shown in competition at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival 2015. The German DVD version of the film was released on April 21, 2017 by cmv-Laservision as the original with German subtitles, like all of Noel's other films before.
reception
The film received mixed reviews.
Martyn Wakefield compared the film on BloodGuts UK with the French television series of the same name and attested similarities, although the film was more political; The “disgust” towards the influence of the National Socialists in Argentina after the Second World War is clear. He praised the "brilliantly haunting soundtrack" and the "brooding melancholy" that littered the whole film "between horror and beauty". The strong story of reality mixed with the fantastic is also reminiscent of Pan's Labyrinth or The Devil's Backbone . Wakefield also highlighted the three children's acting performances. The beautiful scenery of Argentina comes into its own, even if the quiet moments of the film could put the patience of the audience to the test.
Sergio Lopez gave the film 2 out of 5 points on TerrorWeekend.com . He criticized the “flat characters”, the “weak production”, the camera work that alternated “between poetry and television film” in just one scene and the “annoying music”. The actors would do the film a "disservice", with the exception of the children, who would play their roles perfectly. Lopez very positively highlights Noel's performance in working with the child actors, who would have to carry most of the film's weight, while the script left the audience “indifferent and sometimes at a loss”.
Web links
- Ellos Volvieron - Returnees in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Movie description on Noelfilms.com
supporting documents
- ^ Certificate of release for Ellos volvieron - The returnees . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF).
- ^ A b Sergio Lopez: Ellos Volvieron review. In: TerrorWeekend.com. May 6, 2015, Retrieved July 3, 2017 (Spanish).
- ^ Emilio Mayorga: One Eyed Takes Argentine Suspense Thriller 'They Returned'. In: Variety.com. Variety , December 3, 2014, accessed October 7, 2015 .
- ^ The Returned. (No longer available online.) One Eyed Films, archived from the original on July 8, 2016 ; accessed on May 30, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ The Returned. Festival Mauvais Genre, 2015, archived from the original on May 11, 2015 ; Retrieved July 3, 2017 (French).
- ↑ Program 2015. (PDF) BIFFF, March 26, 2015, accessed on July 3, 2017 (English).
- ↑ Noel Yvan. BIFFF, accessed July 3, 2017 .
- ↑ Ellos volvieron - The returnees. cmv laser vision , accessed May 30, 2017 .
- ^ Martyn Wakefield: The Returned (Ellos volvieron) Review. In: BloodGuts UK. 2015, accessed July 3, 2017 .
