A new psychological thriller of the Spanish cinema, produced by Netflix.
What is the plot of the film?
Angel works as a paramedic, his job makes him witness many tragedies, traffic accidents, old people who die alone in their homes, etc. He lives with his girlfriend, a beautiful French woman who wants to get pregnant, but it seems that one of them has fertility problems. In addition, Angel is too jealous and behaves a little strangely. All the madness contained, bursts out after, during the transfer of an injured person, the ambulance has a traffic accident. Angel is left prostrate in a wheelchair, destroying his life and removing the demon within him.
A few months ago Netflix also released another psychological thriller, the movie was called Home and besides dealing with the subject of an obsessive psychopath, they have in common that Mario Casas appeared in that other movie, in a secondary role.
There are countless films whose story revolves around a crazy man, of normal appearance, who commits increasingly terrible acts, while allowing himself to be carried away by his obsessions. It is a story told a thousand times, what we will see in The Practitioner, has already been seen many times, giving us a feeling of Deja Vu in many of its scenes.
As a movie for fun, it works well. The length of the film is 90 minutes, the story advances quickly, something that can be appreciated. Although some situations didn't make much sense to me, especially the ending, I didn't want to think about it too much and I wanted to enjoy it.
It's not a film where the character is transformed into someone evil as a result of the accident. Angel is a psychopath from the beginning of the film, the first scenes, where we are introduced to the character, we see him doing little things that make us understand that this man is not normal. Something is wrong with his head.
The accident will only serve to unleash all his madness, it's the fact that it will make him do horrible things. Specifically jealousy. He has a girlfriend who is a beauty, he studies and always has to go out to meet his classmates; this drives the protagonist crazy, who will start to distrust and watch over her.
What I criticize in the film is that it does not explain the background of his environment. How is it that the girlfriend did not realize that he is a very jealous man? The construction of the female character is very uneven, the character lacks depth. And I make this criticism because the credits of the script appear three names. Three screenwriters for a thriller with scenes that have been seen in other films and a somewhat predictable story. I think it's exaggerated.
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Mario Casas is the main character, he plays the Paramedic Angel, doing a good job of acting, with physical transformation included. Mario Casas is a star of the Spanish cinema, from very young he began to act, becoming the idol of young women. Over time, he has shown that he has talent, venturing into different genres. I have always liked his work, he is a dedicated actor who works hard on his characters.
The film is designed to make Mario Casas look like a man obsessed with his girlfriend, whose madness will come out completely after the tragic accident. The other actors play their part in the story, but they lack a better development.
Actor Guillermo Pfening plays Ricardo, the paramedic who drives the ambulance and causes the accident that leaves the protagonist paralyzed. Maria Rodriguez Soto plays Sandra, the physical therapist in charge of Angel's recovery therapies, a character that really adds nothing to the story. And actress Deborah Francois plays Vane, Angel's sensual French girlfriend, the woman he is obsessed with and will do anything to keep her by his side.
The film is directed by filmmaker Carles Torras. He has a couple of previous films, but I haven't seen any of them. He also made a television documentary about the Real Madrid soccer team. Although the scenes in the film are not impressive, I think he is a correct director for this kind of genre.
I am glad to know that a Venezuelan was the director of photography. Juan Sebastián Vásquez has already worked with filmmaker Carles Torras in other projects, here he repeats with him, taking care of the photography, doing an excellent job, with most of the scenes in one location, Angel's apartment, he created that oppressive atmosphere needed in a crucial part of the story.
I am very supportive of films made in my language, whether it be from Spain or another Spanish-speaking country. Because I want Spanish-language films to be broadcast and to reach the widest possible audience. I always invite the English speakers to watch the movies in Spanish, to read the subtitles. There are many interesting proposals, with important themes, also entertaining movies, like the one I recommend in this post.
Turn off all the lights, fill your glass with coca cola, popcorn and enjoy the movie.
My Ranking: 2.9/5
Trailer
Original trailer in spanish language, you can activate english subtitles in youtube. there is also a version with english dubbing in yotube
POSTER
Original poster in Spanish, whose title is El Practicante
