Ropes

Think of Cujo by Stephen King but set in Spain. Most of the action takes place in a remote house, and instead of a rabid St. Bernard, we have a rabid German Shepherd. The twist? Our protagonist is paralyzed and confined to an electric wheelchair. This setup had the potential for a gripping thriller, but unfortunately, it’s undermined by a lackluster script that doesn't fully exploit the premise. Instead of high-stakes tension, we get a lot of internal struggle and suicidal tendencies from the main character, overshadowing the threat of the bloodthirsty dog. The film’s message about overcoming adversity and finding reasons to live is noble, but it feels out of place, especially when our protagonist is attacked by a rabid CGI ferret at one point. Despite its short runtime, the film often feels unnecessarily drawn out and dull. (11.10.2019)

Movies with stories about main characters having to first overcome their inner demons in order to then deal with an actual real situation they must face up to, have become such a cliché that I can only have a very indifferent, sometimes even dismissive attitude towards them. The movie Ropes, unfortunately, offers nothing more than that it throws things at the main character to cause her downfall, but then just leaves her drowning in a hopeless situation, the watching of which is neither even a bit interesting, entertaining, nor rewarding. Also, I find absolutely no enjoyment in watching horror movies which largely feature animals suffering (even if it is purely fictitious). This was an extremely unpleasant viewing for me. [Sitges 2019] (11.10.2019)