Montse lives in 1950s Madrid, but she
shares a close kinship with the sisters in Whatever
Happened to Baby Jane? You could say Montse has issues. Oh my, does she
ever. Unfortunately, that means everyone around her also has issues. At least
as a shut-in seamstress, she has a limited social circle, but she still manages
to do extensive damage in Jaunfer Andrés &
Esteban Roel’s Shrew’s Nest (trailer here), which screens as
part of the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Scary Movies 9.
It is pretty obvious Montse’s abusive father
is to blame for her dysfunctional state of mind. He has been dead for years,
but she is still tormented by hallucinations of the sanctimonious hypocrite.
The film hints darkly at what may have transpired between them, eventually
confirming everything. Montse largely shielded her younger sister, known simply
as “La Niña” from their father, but she became problematically controlling
and sometimes even frightening in her own way. The two grown sisters still live
together in their family’s flat, but Montse’s chronic agoraphobia prevents her
from stepping outside. As a result, she relies on La Niña to be her connection the outside world.
One day, Montse discovers the playboy from
the upstairs flat is lying wounded on their landing. Somehow she skootches him
inside and starts nursing Carlos. Rather taken with the handsome ladies’ man, Montse
decides to keep him. At first, she tries to hide his presence from her sister
and their clients, but that simply is not realistic. At first, Hugo is grateful
for Montse’s care and the haven she provides from his pregnant lover and her
unamused father. However, as his broken leg turns black and festering, he will
look to La Niña for help.
Yes, Nest
is more than a little Misery-like,
except Montse might just top Annie Wilkes’ hobbling scene. Yet, we also
understand the twitchy, bug-eyed, morphine-addicted Montse is the film’s
original victim, who is still be victimized by her father, from beyond the
grave. Frankly, it is absolutely amazing how much compassion Andrés & Roel preserve for Montse, because great gosh almighty,
can she dish out the pain.
Whether you love Nest or utterly despise it, you will never forget Macarena Gomez’s
performance as Montse. It is one for the ages. She manages to do acutely subtle
bits of character-establishing business, as well as wildly over the top scenery
chewing, often simultaneously. In contrast, Nadia de Santiago is a paragon of
sensitivity and reserve as La Niña, but
there is no way she can avoid the gargantuan shadow cast by Gomez’s Montse.
