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      The hunting duo brought the girl back to the home much to the surprise of their wives. Right away they put the mutated girl in the bath while trying to figure out what to do about the situation. They want to get cops involved but that becomes difficult when the villagers they ran into earlier show up looking for their daughter/niece! From here Paul plays dumb and tells the villagers he never seen a little girl. Then he offers to help them hunt for the girl. 

       The film becomes a series of chases between Paul and the villagers while Norman, Lucy and Isabel patiently wait for Paul to come back. The leader of the villagers eventually goes off with Paul to “look” for the mutant like girl. Eventually Paul runs out of lies and eventually tries to escape from the villagers. While Paul is out and about in his own survival movie, the girls catch themselves in a situation similar to “Deliverance” with the two most dimwitted brothers of the crew. A cheer inducing situation pops up when Norman walks through the door with a shotgun while noticing his wife being raped. 

      Paddy Considine was wonderful as Norman. He did a great job playing a guy that was confused, insecure and unsure of himself. Norman and his wife Lucy went through a miscarriage from what I can gather. That seems to be the reason they weren’t getting along throughout the entire movie. Still all of their arguments are ambiguous but I guess we are supposed to feel how Norman feels. Gary Oldman’s character as awesome. As an everyday man he is ambitious, enthusiastic and is quite the hunter. When put in the cat and mouse situation, he was in full survivalist mode. He was slick and convincing but the dumb hicks he tried to trick aren’t too dumb. They know he got the girl because the two couples are the only other people that live near the isolated house in the forest. As for Virginie Ledoyen and Anita Sanchaz Gijon, they were both gives more than just wife roles. Gijon as Isabel the caring character that becomes enraged after learning her husband has left with the villagers. She was wonderful in the scene when she learns that the fact that her husband left in order to keep the villagers away from the little girl. She feels betrayed by both Lucy and Norman. That is until Norman comes and saves the day. Ledoyen is wonderful as she plays a character that is the voice of reason. She tries to understand why the villagers may have locked her away and even offers the choice of giving the daughter back. She’s kind of a nag too. Once Norman blows a inbred rapist away, she starts telling Norman to go to the cops. He’s worried that he won’t get fair justice in a country he is not too familiar with. He is originally from England and is worried how things work in Spain. 

      This film is all about choices. When Lucy wants to give the daughter back to the  Villagers I can understand that. When Paul tries to run from his assailants I can understand that. What I never understand is the history of the villains or why they locked the mutated girl in an abandoned house. Lucy believes it was simply because the girl was mutated but I wanted more clarification than that. 

      Still the film had thrills, wonderful acting and charactization and enough mystery to keep me involved. Still by the time the end came I felt that the writer and director are far too into being vague. I read in a recent Fangoria that  Koldo Serra was heavily influenced by 70’s cinema so I can understand why a lot of the film wasn’t wrapped tight. Still there are three major plot points that left me in the dark. 

      In terms of the technical aspect, this film is pitch perfect. The film was shot in the Basque region of Spain and the chase scenes are accompanied with fitting music and intensity. Also I liked that the effects artists didn’t make the deformed girl a “The Hills Have Eyes” copycat. 

      The film has a surprise around the halfway mark and is both carefully paced and energetic at times. Still some of the story is unclear and far too poetic for my taste. In the final moments of this film you will have no closure. Its not matter of fact. Its hiding why a character made a decision. Sometimes filmmakers forget about the entertainment aspect. I was still entertained but I wasn’t with the ending. The ending is bleak if your into that and having your head filled with question marks. 

** ½ 

-Russ Rutter