In Amazing Elisa [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
fiche film], the latest film by Madrid filmmaker Sadrac González-Perellón, presented in the official section of the 55tth Sitges Film Festival, there is a very clear reference. There are elements and sequences strongly reminiscent of Carlos Vermut's films. Both come from very similar imaginaries, a crossover between comics, fantasy, horror and mystery films (from an open vision). Or rather, González-Perellón wanted to imitate Vermut's unique universe. All creators, more or less directly, are indebted to other creators. This is how all histories of art have been constructed, nothing new.

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The question is what to do with this desire to imitate, what it becomes, where it leads to. Sadrac González then also builds an imaginary that is somewhat original. The film tells the story of Elisa (Jana San Antonio), a twelve-year-old girl who, after the accidental death of her mother, tries to convince her father that she has the superpowers of her favourite comic book heroine and that, with them, they can take revenge on those responsible for the fatal accident (Silvia Abascal and Asier Etxeandía). There is also a certain risk and individuality in how the story is told with a crossover between fantasy, drama and thriller. There are sequences where these genres are blended well, moments when drama and comedy are confused or turn from one thing into another, creating a somewhat puzzling effect. From the world and codes of comics, it is also interesting how the different stories of the film are linked and maintain a certain tension until the end.

You can sense a personal approach to talking about issues such as the darkness in ourselves and in our relationships, the hurt we carry and hide, the violence in our daily lives, the weight of chance, luck, loss and pain in the people we end up becoming, the fantasies we all have, the elusive relationship between fiction and reality. However, the problem with Amazing Elisa is that it doesn't quite manage to detach itself from this reference point and stand on its own.

Sílvia Abascal manages to maintain a very difficult role, but the other performances feel forced. The same applies to the characters and situations, which are pushed to the limit without being credible, as if they wanted to be ground-breaking and surprise us at all costs. The director morbidly approaches this darkness in the characters, as if his purpose was to impress the search for an empty disturbance above all else. There is no humanity in this construction of the characters, this murky backdrop is not naturally incorporated into their reality. This is the film's greatest weakness: the darkness is not an everyday occurrence, simply a rarity. 

Often, the most frightening thing lies in what is not said, in what we do not see and try to imagine. There is no exercise in restraint here, what is intended to be surprising is made very explicit, there is no room for silence, for situations to flow and disturb without a forced nudge.

Amazing Elisa is an interesting offering, that proposes a narrative of somewhat originality. However, it fails to strike the tone it aspires to and from which it feeds.

Amazing Elisa is a production from the production company La Charito Films.