PopHorror Let's Get Scared
An essential film in the drama/horror realm of Spanish cinema, Juanma Bajo Ulloa’s The Dead Mother gets the “special issue” treatment from Radiance Films.
The Dead Mother Synopsis
A criminal, shoots and kills a painting restorer during a bungled burglary, and shoots her daughter as well. Twenty years later, the daughter has been left mute and with a mental age of a child, spending most of her time in a mental home.
With a new 4k restoration and a slick, limited to 3000 copies, Criterion-like package, Radiance Films is introducing this sometimes gothic, sometimes blackly comic, slow burner from director Ulloa (Airbag), who co-wrote with his younger brother Eduardo (Butterfly Wings) to a new generation of genre fans through the magic of Blu-ray!
Telling the story of a true scumbag of a thief, Ismael (Karra Elejalde; 100 Meters) who kills an art restorer during a botched robbery, while sparing her young daughter. Twenty years later, a chance encounter with the girl, Leire (Ana Alvarez; Suspicious Minds) now mute and confined to a mental hospital, leads Ismael to panic, and thinking the girl could still recognize him, plots with his girlfriend Maite (Lio; The Last Mistress) to kidnap the girl.
In the tradition of film noir, The Dead Mother is a strange tale of the ambiguous relationship that develops between captor and captive. Ismael, while a despicable character, is pulled in two opposing directions by his strange affinity for the beautiful Leire, and his greedy, sociopath girlfriend. What follows is a harshly humorous, and somewhat disturbing descent into insanity. Superbly acted, and created with a keen eye for striking visuals, and a distinct style, The Dead Mother falls equally into the “psychological thriller” and “arthouse” categories. Alvarez in particular stands out in her soulful, vulnerable portrayal. Even with subtitles, the heart-wrenching aspect of The Dead Mother loses none of its impact. The film proper is a tour de force in emotional, and suspenseful filmmaking, all whilst careening into a dark, thrilling, and satisfying conclusion.
The Blu-ray itself is everything a boutique label collector could hope for: excellent transfer, reversible artwork, sleek packaging, and a nice, lengthy booklet with a critique of the movie by film authority Xavier Aldana Reyes. Special features and extras include a “making of” documentary, audio commentary by Ulloa, one of Ulloa’s short films restored in 4K, and an audio CD of the film’s soundtrack.
Radiance is quickly carving out some shelf space in the niche collector’s market, and with stellar releases like The Dead Mother, their stock among cinephiles should continue to increase.
Radiance Films’ Limited Edition Blu-ray of The Dead Mother is available now from fine retailers.
