Jaula (The Chalk Line) (2022) (Review)

Jaula (2022) (a.k.a. The Chalk Line ENG title) It’s not easy for me to review this film! I liked it… but I’m surprised that so many people loved it. I read comments somewhere sayging “Spaniards are good at genre cinema, whatever its expression, be it horror, fantasy or thriller.” I smiled, because I thought the exact opposite while watching this film. But it was also written just after “Much more than their French neighbors, and it’s not for lack of trying on the part of the tricolor cinema. “So… yes, I tend to agree! But it’s not very difficult. I prefer Nordic cinema to French, Spanish or Italian. To each his own, but I’m less disappointed by Swedish, Danish, Icelandic, for example. As for the English, they’re still a notch or two above all that. Jaula isn’t a horror film at all, nor is it a horror film, even if some put it in that category, nor is it even a fantasy film. It’s a hard-boiled thriller, with an almost paranoid influence. The main character wonders whether he’s going mad as the film progresses. This is Ignacio Tatay’s first feature-length film, and he’s managed to create a certain, rather eerie atmosphere. On the other hand, his photography is a little too saturated with gray and blue filters, making the image unpleasant and unattractive. Some shots lack research. After all, not everyone is David Fincher !I also read this review: “Another disappointing, oversold, overrated, outdated Netflix film!It’s still the same principle, a kind of oppressive eight clos, but in this case, only the soundtrack is oppressive, and completely out of tune, since it’s supposed to accompany a terrifying moment and there’s nothing there, just musical effects that run on empty. It’s long, poorly lit, a hollow scenario, and ultimately nothing very original. This film is presented to us as a work that’s been requested and viewed millions of times, which doesn’t bode well for the rest of the N’s productions.There’s not much to salvage, so fall back on a classic, even one you’ve already seen, and you’ll have more fun than discovering this interstellar void.”I’ve heard that the trailer hinted at an incredible thriller tinged with fantasy. At least, that’s what the critics are saying. Alas, it’s more like a thriller for dummies! So I’m not one of those people who can easily guess what’s going to happen, which is why I spend a lot of quality time watching both short and feature-length films. That said, I have the impression that this film treads water for almost an hour, with a soundtrack perfectly at odds with the scenes, dreadful lighting, actors who whisper and create no empathy, including the kid in the first place, and then the story takes an implausible, even ridiculous, turn, followed by pathetic and not very original…In short, it’s Netflix! Rather slow, cartoonish, full of inconsistencies. I wouldn’t say that it’s boring, and that it’s a must-see if you want to fall asleep on your couch, because it does have its strong points. No, I’m not going to react like this other reviewer: “Last European film I’ll ever watch. Enough of these low-rent, easygoing films that pretend to be intelligent when in fact they constantly reflect the artistic and narrative poverty of European cinema (apart from the UK).” Jaula isn’t a piece of crap, despite its impossible scenario and non-existent explanations, its inconsistencies galore and so on. We know that Netflix doesn’t care about the world and that it knows there are people who will always watch, who will always be there. It’s not quite a closed-door show. The third and final part changes location radically. The characters aren’t ultra endearing. I wouldn’t say the actors are bland, as I’ve read. They do a pretty good job. But I ended up not caring what happened to any of them, after having had a moment of disinterest that may have been too great up to that point, greater than I could have imagined. To sum up: I didn’t regret seeing this film, but I didn’t really care how it ended, including for the kid, which is terrible! The directing is questionable at best. It’s still filmed in a drinkable way, but the photography is horrible, because the lighting designer must have been ill, and the distressing pseudo-music, at odds with many of the scenes, is above all caricatured and quickly becomes annoying. By the way, “Jaula” means : The cage.