WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Isn’t it always the little things we end up squabbling about?? When we have much more important decisions to focus on, it never seems to fail that someone just finds it necessary to gain that ONE thing for themselves in order to feel better about the situation being worked through or out of a wish to simply feel they HAVE a say in it all. Now, whether this leads to anything constructive remains to be seen. A long-standing married couple Jesus (David Pareja) and Maria (Estefanía de los Santos) are in this tumultuous dilemma after just having had a baby. Jesus is now only wanting to get a SINGLE thing for himself–the most gaudy coffee table ever. Despite Maria’s logically thought-through protestations, Jesus moves forward with the purchase, which then only seems to increase the couple’s marital instability. But little do either one of them know that MUCH more dire circumstances loom in the near future, altering their existence forever.
Next, my Mind:
As shockingly, diabolically disturbing as it is unequivocally, brazenly brilliant, the horror genre gets a soul-jarring reinvention through this 91-minute indie feature film that arrives courtesy of Spanish writer/director/editor Caye Casas, writer Cristina Borobia, and producers/executive producers Norbert Llaràs, Diego Rodriguez, and Maria José Serra, punching you square in the jaw and knocking the breath out of your very being with a definitiveness that is inescapable. In the grander viewpoint of things here, what allows this film to carry such a blatant level of impact is that, for this critic anyway, it transcends most (if not all really!) “standard” horror film tropes (demonic possession, hauntings, monsters in the closet, slashers in the woods, the hidden mutant in the basement, etc, etc, etc) and instead relies WHOLLY on what could arguably be the most unsettling source of horrific possibilities one could actually consider or fathom–the HUMAN kind.
Focused on an early middle-aged couple who’ve just had their first baby and already share a mutually strained relationship because of it (NOT withstanding OTHER factors that are potential obstacles to overcome that only ONE of them is aware of!), the narrative charges forth with an unrelenting atmosphere of tension, disquiet, and “only the viewer and one other character knows!” perspective via its cornerstone element –a garish coffee table–that a frustrated husband chooses to buy which then turns into a catalyst for a seriously unnerving exercise in an unfolding, utterly jolting “accidental vs. intentional??” scenario that unravels him, his wife, and their newly created family unit. This is a true masterwork of utilizing what we DO see vs. what we really DON’T while throwing in HINTS or the BRIEFEST of glimpses as to what may or may not transpire as the narrative moves forward while also giving us startling (and bloody but NOT gratuitously, rather EFFECTIVELY, so!) imagery at JUST the right instances where a certain REVEAL is THAT close to occurring, keeping your eyes (plus mind and heart rate!) racing!
The manner in which so many of these “close calls” that are integral to maintaining the film’s parable air of complete disbelief, pitch black humor at times, and “HOW can this get ANY worse??!!” sequences is simply genius and unforgiving in its brashness, which for me literally DEFINES in many respects the very core of indie cinema and the filmmakers behind it–no fear, no limits, and total artistic ingenuity–in order to give us something like this film that is just mind-numbingly unhinged yet SO well executed. And in the midst of everything that we watch take place, the thematic explorations conveyed here cover so much territory, from what it is to be embattled within from a guilty conscious, encountering anxiety on a level SO far beyond the norm, severely misguided teenage lust, manipulation, keeping secrets to our deep detriment, vegan-ism (yes, I’m serious!), rash choices, the pressures of being a new parent, a brother’s hesitant yet eerily present love and support, the power of a mother’s connection to their child, and veiling it all under a cloud of “normalcy” that is just frightening.
As one might guess, the culmination of events is as monumentally harrowing and formidably grim through a finale that does precisely what its intended to do–horrify you and yet, strangely, SOMEHOW end up providing you with a sense of release for the character’s devastating plight. If you really wish to understand this–buckle up, prepare yourself, and watch the film, that’s all I will say about it! This is my first time ever seeing Pareja on screen and the actor does NOT disappoint through his role here as Jesus, an ultimately affable but heavily beleaguered man who’s just coming to accept fatherhood, but wants something he feels is HIS own decision as well, which takes the form of an ugly coffee table he purchases. Despite the tussle it causes between him and his wife, Jesus remains steadfast in his choice–until a petrifying turn of events sends him down an ever-spiraling journey of initially inward and soon outward trauma that he now must mask while attempting to ascertain how it will all be handled.
It is a study of falling into madness, all-encompassing dismay, yet having to present the illusion of “all is well” to a degree that is borderline insanity as well, and watching how deftly, skillfully, and BELIEVABLY Pareja navigates this character through such extremes in situations that constantly buffet him is a marvel to witness, a true testament to the actor’s talents and an ability to capture you fully as the viewer, creating that tangible aura of apprehensive unease that works SO adeptly here. Next, de los Santos likewise shines brightly through her role as Maria, a loving and we believe doting woman who also experiences a magnitude of discontent thanks to her stubborn husband’s purchase even as she is all consumed with love for the newest family member, their newborn child. Her excitement and focus solely on this, she has no idea the storm that is heading her way, and carrying on her day as she does is just PAINFUL to take in given what WE know has occurred and IS occurring while Maria remains completely in the dark.
How she will manage to not take actions that she wishes as her husband’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic is such a lesson in patience but also a slowly boiling out that threatens to bubble over if not tempered with answers to how suddenly things seem awry. It’s a beautifully nuanced but profoundly dynamic performance by de los Santos, as she guides the character through joy, questioning, and gut-wrenching pain with an amazing poise that, like Pareja, MAKES you FEEL everything the character is, again made MORE intense by the sheer weight of the knowledge WE have that Maria doesn’t, making reveals that much more agonizing. Primary supporting roles arrive here via Josep Maria Riera as Carlos, Jesus’ brother whom gets in WAY over his head upon learning about what’s happened during the film’s third act, Claudia Riera plays Carlos’ girlfriend Cristina who will get MUCH more than she anticipated when coming over for the lunch date at Jesus and Maria’s place.
Gala Flores is Ruth, a neighbor’s teen daughter who has, shall we say, a VERY strong level of unhealthy infatuation towards Jesus. Additional appearances are made by Eduardo Antuña, Cristina Dilla, Itziar Castro, Paco Benjumea, Clàudia Font, Aitana Garcia, Pere Vall, and Dam Fustagueras Petit. So, in total, “The Coffee Table” is a blunt force, unflinching, unapologetic exploit in consummate horror on an entirely different plane, choosing to showcase the darkest sides of humanity, what we’re capable of, and to what lengths we might go to in facing the inevitability of being exposed in the harshest of circumstances. This film will NOT remotely be for everyone, given the premise it pursues as its heartbeat, but make no mistake, as mentioned above, this IS independent film, and the unmitigated daring an effort like this represents is admirable, illustrating an originality that mainstream projects so often cannot come close to matching.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
