Shrew's Nest

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Shrew's Nest
File:Musarañas poster.png
Theatrical release poster
Musarañas
Directed by Juan Fernando Andrés
Esteban Roel
Produced by Álex de la Iglesia
Written by Juan Fernando Andrés
Sofía Cuenca
Starring Macarena Gómez
Nadia de Santiago
Hugo Silva
Luis Tosar
Production
companies
Nadie es Perfecto
Pokeepsie Films
Release dates
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  • December 25, 2014 (2014-12-25)
Country Spain
Language Spanish

Shrew's Nest (Spanish: Musarañas, "Shrews", renamed "Sangre de mi sangre" ("Blood of my blood") in Mexico,[1] and "La habitación del mal" ("The evil room") in Colombia,[2] is a Spanish 2014 thriller/horror film directed by Juan Fernando Andrés and Esteban Roel, and starring Macarena Gómez, Nadia de Santiago, Hugo Silva and Luis Tosar. It was nominated for three awards at the 29th Goya Awards ceremony.

Plot

The film is set in the 1950s. Montse (Macarena Gómez) has lost her youth taking care of younger sister Nia (Nadia de Santiago), both locked in a dark apartment in the center of Madrid. Their mother died during Nia's birth and their father (Luis Tosar) ran away, unable to handle the situation. And so, forced to act as father, mother and older sister, Montse hides from reality, feeding an obsessive, unhinged temperament. She suffers from agoraphobia and her only link to reality is Nia. That link breaks when Carlos (Hugo Silva), a neighbor of them, falls down the stairs and looks for help knocking on the only door he can drag himself towards. Someone has entered the shrew's nest, and might not come out again. In the end we learn that Montse is actually Nia's mother and older sister, for her father raped her after the mother died. After having Nia and raising her as a little sister, she kills her father when he starts to show sexual interest in 5-year-old Nia, and hides his body in the blocked fireplace. This is all learnt by the latter in the final moments of the film, the last scene depicting Nia choosing to hide, forever, in the "shrew's nest".

Critical reception

Shrew's Nest has received generally positive reviews. Jordi Costa wrote for El País, "one could criticize Shrew's Nest for some underlinings and missteps, but it is an energic debut film, capable of modulating with a good pulse the escalade towards its final excesses."[3] Jonathan Holland of The Hollywood Reporter, while dismissing Hugo Silva's performance as "literally and metaphorically flat", claims that the film is an "enjoyable if unsubtle historical horror featuring a deliciously over-the-top central performance by Macarena Gómez."[4]

On the negative side, Daniel Lobato wrote for eCartelera: "Explaining the reasons that make a failed proposal out of Shrew's Nest would require entering spoiler territory (...), so I will just say that the concord of credibility between viewer and author (...) breaks irreparably as soon as danger raises its head", and also criticizes Silva's performance, claiming that he "should at least have seen The Sea Inside before laying in bed."[5]

Awards and nominations

Awards Category Nominated Result
29th Goya Awards[6] Best Actress Macarena Gómez Nominated
Best New Director Juanfer Andrés & Esteban Roel Nominated
Best Makeup and Hairstyles José Quetglas & Carmen Veinat Won
Fantasy Filmfest 2015[7] Fresh Blood Award

References

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