6 Films to Keep You Awake: The Christmas Tale [reviewed by Jori]

aka Películas para no dormir: Cuento de navidad, X-Mas Tale
Paco Plaza, 2006 (71 min.)
Language: Spanish (English subtitles available)
My rating:
IMDB

It’s engaging, it’s creepy and you just have to watch this!

* * *

Children are the epitome of innocence. Or so they say. But how much of that is really true? And does being exposed to violence on TV and in movies have an impact on their behavior? This is such a hotly debated topic that if I had any inkling that this film was going to be exploring that question, I probably would have passed on it. I am quite opinionated and tend to be one of those people who yells at the TV.

Koldo (Christian Casas), Peti (Roger Babia), Tito (Pau Poch), Eugenio (Daniel Casadella) and Moni (Ivana Baquero from Pan’s Labyrinth) are on Christmas break, fooling around just being kids when they discover a woman lying in a well, dressed in a Santa suit. They do the right thing and go to the police to get help for her. It turns out the woman in the well is Rebeca (Malu Valdivielso) a criminal that is wanted for robbing a bank (she used the Santa suit as a clever disguise to get away). What seemed like innocent children start to turn…well, greedy. They want to “keep her as a secret pet” and then turn her in to the police for a reward before school starts again. Of course, that’s not enough. They also want her to give them the money (two million pesetas!) that she stole. What started out as stupid kid logic of feeding her candy and pop until they turn her in quickly evolves into some really dark stuff like starving her to make her tell them where the money is.

What started out as a Spanish version of Stand By Me or Goonies takes a dark turn fairly quickly. You see, as a side story we find out that Peti and Eugenio are obsessed with a fictional movie called “Zombie Invasion” and decide to re-create the voodoo scene using Rebeca as their “zombie.” It’s all fun and games until she escapes from the well and is now on a rampage intent on getting her revenge.

I love that the main theme of the story about kids being influenced by media was subtle. It is set in 1985 and pop culture references are everywhere (the decide they shouldn’t tell Rebeca their real names so they each take a name from The A-Team) but it doesn’t feel at all pushy. The key here (besides excellent acting from every single cast member) is that these are children acting exactly like children do. They think that they are grown up and knowledgeable without understanding that all this so-called knowledge in fact comes from everything they see on TV and in the movies. It is quite clear that no one is evil, they are just misguided kids who happen to have no idea what the consequences of their actions might lead to. How Tito uses his obsession for The Karate Kid when trying to fight off Rebeca, how Peti and Eugenio reenact the voodoo scene from “Zombie Invasion” do not highlight their intelligence, it’s just pure dumb luck for these kids.

Malu Valdvielso’s talent is absolutely remarkable and pushes this film just over the edge of excellent. She is creepy as the criminal on the run, yet as she is being starved and exposed to the elements she suddenly is pitiful and you end up empathizing with her. When she goes on her rampage there is no doubt in your mind this is one crazy broad you need to run away from. Same woman, same face and yet she was able to convey such a wide variety of characters that were truly independent of each other. It doesn’t get much better than this, and it’s a rare occurrence indeed to find someone who has a wide range of emotions in one little story.

I have always asserted that media does not have as big an impact on children as it’s being touted to be. Have I changed my mind after watching this? Slightly. Children are impressionable and they need guidance from their parents. Since the parents (and adults in general) are absent from the film, I stand behind my views. Throughout the film, I did find myself constantly wondering, “Dude, where the hell are their parents?” and I think that is part of the director’s point. If left alone, children—no matter how “innocent” or “good”—will eventually get caught up in stupidity and inevitably end up in over their heads. Excellent acting, a great plot and spot on social commentary combine to make this a must watch film, no doubt about it. Just make sure you don’t let your kids watch it alone.

• The Fourth Kind [reviewed by Lackey]
  [Zero stars] In the end, what you believe is up to you. And I believe I'll give this one a skull.
• The Rage [reviewed by Jori]
  [3 stars] Misty Mundae doesn't get naked and it's still good!
• Are You Scared? [reviewed by Jori]
  [Zero stars] Are you serious?!