The Open Body (Galician: O corpo aberto) is a 2022 Gothic folk horror drama film directed by Ángeles Huerta from a screenplay by Huerta and Daniel D. García, based on the story "Lobosandaus" by Xosé Luís Méndez Ferrín. It stars Tamar Novas alongside María Vázquez and Victória Guerra. It was primarily shot in Galician and Portuguese.
| The Open Body | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Galician | O corpo aberto |
| Directed by | Ángeles Huerta |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | "Lobosandaus" by Xosé Luís Méndez Ferrín |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Gina Ferrer |
| Edited by | Sandra Sánchez |
| Music by | Mercedes Peón |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Filmax |
Release dates |
|
| Countries |
|
| Languages |
|
Plot
editSet in 1909, the plot follows Miguel, a teacher destined to the fictional Galician village of Lobosandaus, in the border between Spain and Portugal.[1][2] After his arrival to the village, he meets with Obdulia, a woman seemingly possessed by the spirit of her sister-in-law Dorinda's former (male) lover. Miguel, a man of reason, begins to question himself about the supernatural.[2]
Cast
edit- Tamar Novas as Miguel[3]
- María Vázquez as Obdulia[3]
- Victória Guerra as Dorinda[3]
- Nicolás Otero as Clamores[4]
- Elena Seijo as Aparecida[4]
- José Fidalgo as Mauro[4]
- Federico Pérez as Turelo[4]
- Miquel Ínsua as Don Fernando[4]
- Izan González as Martín[4]
Production
editThe screenplay was written by Ángeles Huerta and Daniel D. García, based on Xosé Luís Méndez Ferrín's story "Lobosandaus" (from the book Arraianos).[1] The film is a Spanish-Portuguese co-production by OlloVivo (Galicia), Fasten Films (Catalonia), and Cinemate (Portugal), with support of AGADIC and ICAA.[5] Shooting locations included Muíños, Lobeira, and Calvos de Randín (all in the Spanish province of Ourense) and the Portuguese villages of Tourém and Pitões (both in Montalegre).[6] It was primarily shot in Galician and Portuguese,[3] also featuring dialogue in Spanish.[7]
Release
editFilmax acquired international rights to the film.[8] The Open Body's festival run included screenings at the Lisbon International Horror Film Festival (MOTELX), the Ourense International Film Festival, the 67th Valladolid International Film Festival (Seminci), and the 60th Gijón International Film Festival.[2][9] It was released theatrically in Spain on 9 December 2022.[1]
Reception
editPablo Vázquez of Fotogramas rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, highlighting Novas (in his best performance to date) as the film's standout while citing's the film's "somewhat cumbersome" narration as a negative point.[10]
Santiago Alverú of Cinemanía rated the film 3½ stars, summing it up as "an honest search for the ghost of the evil dreamed".[11]
Miguel Anxo Fernández of La Voz de Galicia deemed The Open Body to be "an honest, brave and well-finished film, destined to last", confirming Ángeles Huerta as "a solvent and welcome director" in the scope of fiction.[12]
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21st Mestre Mateo Awards | Best Film | Won | [13][14] | |
| Best Director | Ángeles Huerta | Won | |||
| Best Screenplay | Ángeles Huerta, Daniel D. García | Won | |||
| Best Actor | Tamar Novas | Won | |||
| Best Actress | María Vázquez | Nominated | |||
| Victoria Guerra | Nominated | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | Elena Seijo | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Federico Pérez Rey | Won | |||
| Best Cinematography | Gina Ferrer | Won | |||
| Best Editing | Sandra Sánchez | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Score | Mercedes Peón | Won | |||
| Best Production Supervision | Tamara Soto Mato | Won | |||
| Best Art Direction | Antonio Pereira | Won | |||
| Best Sound | Diego Staub, Jordi Rossinyol | Won | |||
| Best Costume Design | Teresa Sousa | Won | |||
| Best Makeup and Hairstyles | Raquel Fidalgo, Noé Montes, María Barreiro | Won | |||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "'O corpo aberto': making of de la película con el actor protagonista, Tamar Novas" ['The Open Body': making-of of the film with the lead actor, Tamar Novas] (in Spanish). RTVE. 7 December 2022.
- ^ a b c Pizarro, Miguel Ángel (9 December 2022). "Tamar Novas ('Cuerpo abierto'): "Las fronteras entre lo masculino y lo femenino no son tan claras"" [Tamar Novas ('The Open Body'): 'The boundaries between masculine and feminine are not so clear']. eCartelera (in Spanish).
- ^ a b c d "'O corpo aberto': terror, folclore y los límites entre la vida y la muerte" ['The Open Body': horror, folklore and the boundaries between life and death] (in Spanish). RTVE. 22 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f "O corpo aberto". Filmax. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ "La película O Corpo Aberto, rodada en Ourense, se estrena el 9 de diciembre" [The film The Open Body, shot in Ourense, opens on 9 December]. La Región (in Spanish). 2 December 2022.
- ^ Bobillo, Domingo (14 December 2021). "La frontera entre la vida y la muerte, así es 'O corpo aberto', una película sobre opuestos y límites" [The boundary between life and death, this is 'The Open Body', a film about opposites and limits] (in Spanish). RTVE.
- ^ Baena, Ana (12 December 2022). ""O corpo aberto", terror folk gallego con atmósfera victoriana" ['The Open Body', Galician folk horror with a Victorian atmosphere]. Atlántico (in Spanish).
- ^ Mayorga, Emilio (8 March 2022). "Galician Gothic Horror Movie 'The Open Body' Taken by Filmax (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
- ^ Loser, Jorge (24 November 2022). "Tenebroso tráiler de 'Cuerpo Abierto': una mezcla de folk horror rural y cine gótico que parece 'Sleepy Hollow' en Galicia" [Scary trailer for 'The Open Body': a mix of rural folk horror and Gothic cinema that looks like 'Sleepy Hollow' in Galicia]. Espinof (in Spanish).
- ^ Vázquez, Pablo (8 December 2022). "Crítica de 'Cuerpo abierto', folk á feira". Fotogramas (in Spanish).
- ^ Alverú, Santiago (5 December 2022). "Crítica de 'Cuerpo abierto'". Cinemanía (in Spanish) – via 20minutos.es.
- ^ Fernández, Miguel Anxo (9 December 2022). "Críticas de los filmes de estreno «O corpo aberto», «El viaje a París de la señora Harris» y «Rabbit Academy: el gran robo de los huevos de Pascua»". La Voz de Galicia.
- ^ Quintás, Paula (7 February 2023). "Audiovisual de Galicia: Estos son todos los finalistas a los XXI Premios Mestre Mateo". Quincemil – via El Español.
- ^ ""O corpo aberto" arrasa en los Premios Mestre Mateo con doce estatuíllas". La Región. 12 March 2023.
