Sitges Festival: “Manticore” by Carlos Vermut

Few directors feel such sincere admiration for the Sitges festival as that professed by Carlos Vermut. He systematically attends each year as director or screenwriter of films that are part of the festival’s programming. But above all as one more fan of the precious synergies that are born in each of the rooms of a contest that in the words of the director himself is the best in the world. For that reason he was especially excited about the presentation of his latest film, manticorein the Melià auditorium, the most important room of the festival and in which none of his feature films had yet been screened.

Vermut is one of the few directors who understands the filmmaker’s job as that of a craftsman who needs to dedicate time and skill to make his works. That is why his filmography is so concise and at the same time so brilliant. It’s more, With only 4 feature films in his career, he has already managed to refine the style of a promising new director towards that of a veteran with extremely refined intentions and style.. manticore It is a delight, a modest film made with a touch and affection within the reach of very few directors. But manticore It is also a nightmare, an absolutely terrifying film, although it goes against the grain of the conventional terror that occupies practically the entire festival programme. It is a terror of inner demons, a real, palpable fear that can only be transmitted through the superb performance of two actors who, despite having practically started their careers, already deserve all the recognition in the world. And it is that Vermut makes the impossible and intractable easy on the big screen without fear of embracing the most complicated taboos and feelings. Few notes on the narrative content of the film are worth explaining. It is more gratifying to hold on to the seat of the cinema and descend to hell hand in hand with a director who, although it seems that he is caressing you, is hitting you and stirring up feelings that you did not even know you had.

manticore It seems like the fifteenth film by an established and veteran director who is already absolutely clear about what his cinema should be like.. That is why it is disconcerting how the career of one of the most promising directors of Spanish cinema will continue to advance, especially when the style and delicacy of his creations are practically unsurpassed.