Written and directed by F. Javier Gutiérrez, Eladio, hunting estate keeper, takes a bribe from a veteran hunter. Weeks later, his whole life falls apart. What looked like the opportunity of a lifetime, turns into a macabre descent to hell when he finds out that his misfortune might not be entirely by chance. Starring: Víctor Clavijo, Ruth Díaz, Manuel Morón, José Luis Rasero and Luis Callejo.
Occasionally, a film will have the right ingredients but be unable to make them all work together and create something strong, unfortunately The Wait is one of those films. The best example is the direction from F. Javier Gutiérrez and cinematography by Miguel Ángel Mora, both have the right idea and locations but fall short. There’s a quality missing to the aesthetic, it’s solid but not exceptional. It had the potential for something sweeping, isolated and intense but it feels somewhat tame.
Similar can be said of the story, for the most part it leans into a very depressive atmosphere with only the lingering of mystery in the background. It’s a shame as when it finally does arrive at the crux of its plot, it does have something interesting to offer, it’s just too late in the game for a bigger impact. If it had bled more of those fantasy and horror elements consistently throughout, this could have been stronger. It has a truly sinister side to offer but it makes viewers wait far too long to find it.
Another reason that’s a shame is the lead performance from Víctor Clavijo, which is one of the most intense factors that The Wait has to offer. He truly unravels Eladio and is the key element that keeps you hanging on in the face of his sheer despair and desolation. While the cracks appear early on, the way that he progresses the mental and physical state of this character is really well done. However, he feels like the only real presence in this film, again until the end, so it would have been great to see the external forces more in action to round it out.
The Wait gives us too much misery and not enough mystery, the ending is fantastic but the rest of the film doesn’t live up to that. It massively shifts the tone in the last twenty minutes, rather than building a foundation for its sinister resolution. There’s a lot of potential at work here, and a superb performance from Víctor Clavijo, but the elements aren’t all working at their strongest to truly bring everything together.
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