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Quim, played by Leonardo Sbaraglia |
Dark tale, shot through eyes of a sniper
KING OF THE HILL
Directed by Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego
Certificate 15
THIS violent and unnerving film leaves much unsaid. At times it’s almost as if you have joined the action in the middle. Yet the decision not to spoon-feed the viewer with too much information gives this super-spooky Spanish film an added edge.
For much of the time, you’re not sure exactly what type of badness is being perpetrated in the muddy autumnal mountains. All you know is the lead character, a middle-aged and lonely man called Quim, does not want to be there to see it.
We meet Quim (Leonardo Sbaraglia) as he heads through the Spanish countryside on his way to see an ex-girlfriend. He pulls over to buy petrol, and as he his paying for his fuel he spots a woman stealing chocolate bars. They meet in the toilets, and have a bizarre sexual encounter which results in her stealing his wallet.
He gives chase in his rattly Volvo, which turns out to be a very poor decision. Quim instantly becomes the target in the middle of a gun sight. We are left guessing whose finger is on the trigger, and why – a blank space that allows the viewer’s imagination to do the work of the author.
Although a straight-up thriller, lurking beneath what develops into Quim’s struggle for survival is a more intricate question. We are shown the barrel of a gun from the perspective of the person firing it. It is a sight anyone who has ever played video games will recognise. And as the plot unfolds, the director is linking violent games and films with the behaviour of young people.
This is clearly an uncomfortable topic, along the lines of the discussions that were played out publicly after James Bulger was murdered in 1993 when police said there were similarities between the young boy’s death and a horror film the perpetrators had watched.
With a soundtrack that consists of occasional conversations in hushed Spanish and the noises of a forest in October, the hunted clambering over rocks and squelching through mud, and then the thud of gunshots, the loneliness of Quim is accentuated.
George Orwell described the sensation of knowing a sniper is looking for you, ready to fire a bullet with your name on. He said it led to an itchy feeling, and a strong wish to cover your face with your hands.
It is testimony to the skills of director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego that he has created a film where the viewer will sit with that same sensation throughout. Dark stuff. |
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