Guitierrez’s The Wait

Jobs were hard to come by in 1970s Spain. Poor Eladio would have been better off working as a bellhop in a dysfunctional hotel in Torquay. Instead, he accepts a position as the gamekeeper on Don Francisco’s estate. They say the soil there is cursed and he might be too in director-screenwriter F. Javier Guitierrez’s The Wait, which is now available on VOD.

There was a time when Eladio was an avid hunter, but he is over it now. However, his young son Floren has a passion for shooting, but more so inanimate targets than animals. Regardless, the little boy takes to Eladio’s new gig much more readily than his mother, Marcia.

One day, Don Francisco’s crony, Don Carlos, offers Eladio a Faustian bargain. Don Francisco approved ten shooting stands for the big annual hunt, but Don Carlos, the hunt master, wants to sell thirteen. Eladio fears the potential crossfire could be dangerous. However, his increasingly embittered Marcia browbeats him into accepting Don Carlos’s bribe. Tragically, Eladio’s concerns are vindicated when Floren is killed by an errant shot.

Thus begins a Job-like succession of woes raining down on Eladio. They almost break him, but instead, he latches onto thoughts of vengeance, especially when he uncovers remnants of strange and possibly occult rituals.

The Wait is a powerful film, but it is not a heck of a lot of fun. It is [almost] darker than Putin’s soul and Guitierrez’s pacing is agonizingly deliberate. The film doesn’t just rub viewers’ noses in Eladio’s pain. It grinds their entire bodies into his misery. Yet, there is no denying its haunting potency.

Victor Clavijo is quietly, but violently devastating as tortured Eladio. Watching him is often excruciatingly painful, in a truly impressive way. Clavijo must often carry the film single-handedly, which he unquestionably does, despite his character’s taciturn nature.

Miguel A. Mora’s striking cinematography truly transports the audience to the Andalusian desert. You might want a nice cold beverage on hand for this one. Perhaps it should have a bit of a kick too, because Guiterrez makes no compromises. Recommended for admirers of (way) beyond-the-metroplex horror, The Wait is now available on VOD.