Country: Chile / USA
Review: “Magic Magic” is a psychological thriller directed by Chilean Sebastián Silva, better known for the odd comedy “The Maid” dated from 2009. This time the dark tones didn´t work for me, and everything in “Magic Magic” seemed a bit contrived. Alicia (Juno Temple) is the girl who gets our attention with her constant insomnias, hallucinations, and deliriums. Joining her cousin Sarah and her friends for a vacation’s trip to a Chilean remote place, Alicia starts to show signs of serious disturbances and seems to be detached from reality. Everything gets worse after one of the boys try to hypnotize her, leading to several happenings that will confirm Alicia’s urgent need of help. A very slow starting, where nothing really happens for almost 45 minutes, seemed to have thrown my expectations away. The tension created, never attained its limits, and the scenes seemed too restrained and inconsequent to scare. In a mix of Spanish and English, the film slowly approaches to its terrible ending, a sort of ritual where some villagers will try to purify Alicia’s soul, while the despair takes care of everyone present in the room. Temple’s great performance convinced me of her character’s madness but didn’t absolve Silva from an obtuse plot that didn’t even know what to do with its ending. “Magic Magic” is a totally expendable thriller that lacks nerve.
