PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Perusing the programming selections prior to Fantastic Fest, a particular movie’s title struck me – The Coffee Table, the solo feature debut from Spanish filmmaker Caye Casas cowritten with Cristina Borobia. What a peculiar name for a film with an equally intriguing premise:
Jesús and María are a couple going through a difficult time in their relationship. Nevertheless, they have just become parents. To shape their new life, they decide to buy a new coffee table. A decision that will change their existence.
My interest was piqued, to say the least, and I quickly noted The Coffee Table (La mesita del comedor) in my book of memory, hoping I would have the opportunity to see it. Would I be prepared for my experience was another matter entirely, though.
Jesús (David Pareja) is a man locked in matrimony and newfound parenthood with a woman who is severely critical and just generally unpleasant. Constantly nagging and argumentative, his wife María (Estefania de los Santos) is one abrasive ‘better half’. But when it comes to their newborn son, she is simply over the moon with adoration for him. In what would be a mundane experience for most, a trip to the local furniture store proves to be a battleground between partners. While they bicker about a coffee table Jesús has his eye on, it gets a bit personal, as we can clearly see that María is the decision maker along with being incredibly overbearing. Jesús stands his ground, though, and insists that they purchase the remarkably gaudy coffee table he just needs to have. With the assistance of a creepy salesman who encourages the decision, the new parents are now the new owners of a very special piece of furniture.
The same day Jesús brings his prized new piece of furniture home, he is also allowed to watch his young son alone for the first time and this, folks, becomes ground zero for the agonizing The Coffee Table. As his wife is gone to shop for the imminent dinner they are hosting for his brother Carlos (Josep Riera), and his brother’s younger girlfriend, Christina (Claudia Riera), Jesús tries to settle in with the baby. In an instant, we shift from sharing a moment of bonding to sheer panic, then shocked frenzy.
The Coffee Table keeps being thrown around as a pitch-black comedy, but I don’t feel safe in the slightest suggesting this be a comedy in any sense of the word to some (unless, like myself, you have a deplorable sense of humor). Things become dark quickly in Caye Casas’ film. So dark, that if you laugh in front of others, you may be deemed unfit to babysit your friends’ children.
Jesús, left to his own devices after the incident, decides to “cover up” what happened, attempting to make good on the planned family dinner without concerning the others, as well as dodging the 13-year-old neighbor who is infatuated with him. This proves to be a catastrophe. Actor David Pareja portrays a man overwrought with so much emotion he can barely function. As the audience, we are privy to the bleak reality that Jesús is so desperately trying to hide from those closest to him. His performance, paired with the cinematography and score, coincide to create an unease and paranoia that nearly induces a panic attack.
The Coffee Table will be a menacing experience for some and a hidden gem for others. Casas and his talented cast lay out an extreme barrage of emotions for the audience to address. While full-on gore isn’t on display, and despite the fact there’s plenty of the red stuff, it’s what’s left to the imagination that is truly disturbing. I give kudos to Casas; this is a nasty little slice of foreign independent horror and I mean that with every bit of respect. Who would’ve thought the very innocuous purchase of living room furniture could spiral into complete madness?
The Coffee Table had its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas on Friday, September 22nd.
