Deadly Cargo or Dark Chamber (Spanish: Cámara oscura) is a 2003 Spanish psychological horror thriller film directed by Pau Freixas from a screenplay by Freixas and Héctor Claramunt which stars Silke and Unax Ugalde.
| Deadly Cargo | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Spanish | Cámara oscura |
| Directed by | Pau Freixas |
| Screenplay by |
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| Produced by | Joan Bosch |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Julián Elizalde |
| Edited by | Jaume Martí |
| Music by |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Manga Films |
Release dates |
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| Country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
| Budget | €3.5 million |
Plot
editThe plot follows the members of an underwater diving expedition (including freelance photographer Sara and instructor Iván) hiding on a gloomy hulk used for people trafficking after being left afloat for a while in the wake of their vessel enduring a wreck off the West African coast.[1][2]
Cast
edit- Silke as Sara[3]
- Adrià Collado as Víctor[3]
- Diana Lázaro as Thaïs[3]
- Unax Ugalde as Iván[3]
- Andrés Gertrúdix as Edgar[3]
- Mustafa Jawara as Drui[1]
- Lluís Homar as Capitán[3]
- Juan Fernández as Salomón[3]
- Josep M. Domènech as Antón[3]
Production
editThe film is an Iris Star, Manga Films, and Estudios Picasso production and it had the participation of Telecinco and TVC.[2][1] It boasted a €3.5 million budget.[2] Shooting locations included Vilanova i la Geltrú.[4]
Release
editDeadly Cargo screened out of competition as the opening film of the 36th Sitges Film Festival on 27 November 2003.[5][6] Distributed by Manga Films,[1] it was released theatrically in Spain on 27 August 2004.[7]
Reception
editJonathan Holland of Variety considered that "far the best of a recent crop of Spanish teen thrillers", the "stylish" film manages to exploit "a decent budget, good perfs and self-assured helming".[1]
Alberto Bermejo of El Mundo rated the film 2 out of 5 stars, praising the "steady pace and believability of the characters' harrowing wanderings on the boat" but also writing about the sailors' characters exposing "the lack of entity" of a script and a mise-en-scène both lacking the necessary depth.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Holland, Jonathan (2 September 2004). "Dark Chamber". Variety.
- ^ a b c Mateo Ruiz-Gálvez, Juan José (27 August 2004). "Unax Ugalde y Silke se unen para sobrevivir". El País.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Cámara oscura" (PDF). ICAA. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- ^ Ramos Martín, Manuel (23 May 2003). "Silke y Unax Ugalde se embarcan en una pesadilla en alta mar". El País.
- ^ ""Cámara oscura" y un frío aterrador abrieron ayer el Festival de Cine de Sitges". ABC. 28 November 2003.
- ^ Torreiro, Casimiro (28 November 2003). "Sitges inicia con un irregular 'thriller' su edición más terrorífica". El País.
- ^ "Cámara oscura". Fotogramas. 29 May 2008.
- ^ Bermejo, Alberto (8 September 2004). "Turistas en peligro". El Mundo.