‘The house among the cacti’: The strange country family

Called the “Spanish Stephen King”, writer Paul Pen saw how quickly his novels were turned into films. It happened first with ‘El Aviso’, a thriller directed by Daniel Calparsoro; then with ‘The splendor of the fireflies’, which is being adapted and whose screenplay is signed by Alberto Marini, and, finally, ‘La casa entre los cactus’ is here, the closing film of the Made in Spain section of the 70th edition of the San Sebastian Film Festival and that makes Daniel Grao and Ariadna Gil a married couple with a lot to hide.

First work by Carlota González-Adrio, The novelty of this film adaptation is that it has the author himself as a screenwriter. On this occasion there is that atmosphere of mystery that surrounds that strange family who lives far from the maddened crowd, in the middle of the forest of the Canary Islands, in the Spain of the 70s. The film holds its cards in relation to the intentions of its protagonistsshowing a seemingly idyllic life with a certain costume designer air, with a seemingly happy family.

Now, you notice that behind this picture of apparent peaceful peace lies a secret and that the film leaves him with some situations that are strange and that help create an oppressive environment that contrasts with the beauty of the setting, which conveys a sense of freedom as opposed to history. The arrival of a stranger will alter the harmony of the family and this is where the film begins to falter.

Mid-throttle intrigue

Although it creates a setting and conveys that sense of intrigue, which turns the proposal into a hypnotic thriller, the story does not stop exploiting that atmosphere, leaving aside the suspense part and starting to become a family drama. Betting on both sexes seemed ambitious, since it is difficult to carry out both aspects and the result, in this case, is that it is not up to par. It doesn’t end up being a good thriller and neither does the dramatic plot end up being over.despite the commendable work of its cast.

Its main actors know how to keep the wait until the end, here you can see the good work of both Daniel Grao and Ariadna Gil, whose chemistry suggests they are facing a couple whose off-screen story demands to be told in front of her; like it Ricardo Gómez, a foreign element within that family and whose interpretation evokes those male figures who come to disturb the apparent tranquility of the locals, as happened with ‘La seduccion’ or ‘Teorema’. They are joined by the five daughters of the clan, all named after flowers, played by Aina Picarolo, Zoe Arnao, Anna and Carla Ruiz and Judith Fernández.

González-Adrio shows that he has an impulse when it comes to creating oppressive atmospheres, typical of the claustrophobic stories in the purest style of Yorgos Lanthimos in his early works. However, the problem of the film is in a script that does not know if it wants to be more a suspense or a family drama and in that imbalance it ends up leaving a story that could have given much more, especially for its cast, which is formidable. “The House Among the Cactus” follows in the footsteps of “The Warning”, proving that, for the moment, Paul Pen is resisting the film adaptations of his novels, as they are translated into correct films, but that do not go beyond.

Note: 6

The best: The atmosphere of intrigue and oppression. The cast of actors.

Worse: Gradually, the suspense gives way to a family drama that is not entirely convincing.