A feeble nightmare ranking low on the scare factor
By Pablo Suárez
For the Herald
Over-plotted, talkative to the extreme, and totally scare-less, the Argentine horror thriller Ecuación, los malditos de Dios, by Sergio Mazurek, definitely misses the potential to become a decent genre film, all the more so considering it features accomplished professionals in some key areas, such as Daniel De La Vega on camerawork and Fabián Forte as assistant director. Leaving aside the many deaths that look extremely fake, Ecuación is a technically well-crafted film. The problem lies in the script, and to a minor degree, in the acting too.
Broadly speaking, Mazurek’s outing follows worn-out Dr Hermes Vanth (Carlos Echevarría), a man who spends most of his time at work at the Rivadavia Hospital, trying to heal people, yet facing death far too often. In fact, it seems he’s on a losing streak as many of his patients are mysteriously dying one after the next. And then there are the deaths he witnesses outside the hospital as well. What’s even more bizarre is that every single time somebody dies, a strange old man (Eduardo Ruderman) pops up out of the blue.
Eventually, Hermes’ girlfriend becomes one of the unfortunate victims, and soon enough he meets with Father Alfredo (Roberto Carnaghi) to try to get a grip on such a maddening scenario. In the end, the involvement of Sedna (Marta Lubos), a crazy woman committed to an asylum, will help to unravel a deeply buried enigma.
Ecuación is written by Guillermo Barrantes and is based on a series of books called Buenos Aires es leyenda, by Barrantes and Víctor Coviello. That could partly explain why it is so over-plotted: you just can’t sum up several books-worth in an 86-minute film. There are just too many events and hardships, too much information, and conveying so much via lengthy and heavy-handed dialogue is not the best of ideas either.
While overall cinematography is skillfully rendered — framing and composition are occasionally eye-catching too — there’s not a real sense of fear or a disturbing atmosphere. And a horror film without atmosphere is like a comedy with no fun. To top it all off, actors deliver their dialogue in a solemn, even declamatory manner, which does nothing but emphasize the lack of verisimilitude. Last but not least, there’s the never-creepy soundtrack that sometimes becomes overwhelming as it’s clearly an attempt to create some sense of drama the film does not have.
Though well-intended and with fairly good production values, Ecuación, los malditos de Dios is a feeble nightmare that’s never haunting, but rather tedious instead.
Production notes
Ecuación, los malditos de Dios (Argentina, 2016) Directed by Sergio Mazurek. Written by Guillermo Barrantes, based on the books Buenos Aires es leyenda, by Guillermo Barrantes and Víctor Coviello. With Carlos Echevarría, Roberto Carnaghi, Marta Lubos, Diego Alfonso, Eduardo Ruderman. Cinematography: Daniel De La Vega, Leonel Pazos Scioli. Editing: Guille Gatti, Martin Blousson. Running time: 86 minutes.
