★ 7 / 10
Six Truths and a Closed Room
There are films that seem small but end up being more uncomfortable than expected. Under Therapy begins with an almost theatrical premise: three couples…
There are films that seem small but end up being more uncomfortable than expected. Under Therapy begins with an almost theatrical premise: three couples gathered in a group session that gradually exposes conflicts, lies, and open wounds. What starts with a light, even playful tone turns into a rather direct reflection on machismo and power dynamics within relationships.Gerardo Herrero adapts the original play intelligently, using the confined space to build tension without losing pace. The camera moves with purpose, leaning into close-ups when pressure rises and allowing space when needed. There is an effective balance between dark comedy and drama that keeps the viewer engaged without slipping into preachiness or easy caricature.The greatest strength lies in the cast. Alexandra Jiménez, Malena Alterio, Eva Ugarte, Fele Martínez, Antonio Pagudo and Juan Carlos Vellido work as a perfectly tuned ensemble. There are no obvious weak links. Each actor fully commits, which is essential in a story driven almost entirely by dialogue and subtle glances.It's true that its theatrical origins are noticeable, and at times the staging can feel claustrophobic. But that sensation ultimately serves the story. The discomfort is part of the mechanism. The script carefully releases information, allowing pieces to fall into place until a final twist that reframes several earlier behaviors.This is not just a comedy with a message, nor a solemn drama disguised as entertainment. It manages to be engaging while raising uncomfortable questions about normalized attitudes in our society. It does so without losing rhythm or falling into simplistic moralizing. It's refreshing to see a Spanish production that relies on dialogue, moral conflict, and performance as its main engines.
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★ 4 / 10
A claustrophobic and stagy film with only six actors giving acceptable interpretation.
ma-cortes
Three married couples meet at a group of therapy. They are: Malena Alterio (¨Aqui no hay quién Viva¨), Alexandra Jiménez (¨Supernormal¨), Fele Martínez…
Three married couples meet at a group of therapy. They are: Malena Alterio (¨Aqui no hay quién Viva¨), Alexandra Jiménez (¨Supernormal¨), Fele Martínez (¨Tesis¨), Antonio Pagudo (¨La que se avecina¨), Eva Ugarte (El juego de las llaves: The Game of Keys), and Juan Carlos Vellido (Alacrán in Love or Alacrán enamorado), star in this dramatic comedy. From now on, the reunion would lead to unexpected and terrible consequences.This silly dramatic comedy is full of surprises, dealing with three couples are summoned by their psychologist for a group therapy which pushes them to wash increasingly their dirty linen in public, but the flick offering nothing special. Six characters, three couples, join in this Gerardo Herrero film, in this story nothing is what it seems, and all the characters have something to hide, starring have come to make up for lost time and this means uncovering everyone's philias and phobias. The film has a weak link among its main component: the script. It tells us an uneven story that has a hard time getting into what the film itself proposes, potentially putting the viewer in serious trouble when it comes to entering the plot and its dynamics.Based on the play of the same name, in which three couples come to an unusual reunion at a closed place, there the therapy group will be complicated to unsuspected limits. In a single space, these six roles with secrets, insecurities , untrustworthiness, addictions and internal demons are metaphorically stripped naked, making everything they hide progressively come to light until the arrival of a cathartic and unusual conclusion.The film turns out to be boring, with interesting assumptions that pretend to be transcendent, but it falls into the most resounding failure and the most complete exhaustion. Although, at least, the film is not very long and contains a surprising twist plot. Made on a very low budget and set entirely in a room. Which is why the state subsidies it has received are not understood. Of course, the film already in its beginnings proudly declares that it has been subsidized by the Government of Navarra (not even a simple exterior of this wonderful Autonomous Community appears), the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA), ICO Official Credit Institute and other official organizations (taking into account that an average film Spanish is about 4 or 5 million, a film like this with well-known actors must have pocketed 6 million euros, that's what our taxes go to), practically the private producers who appear in the credits will not have invested a single euro, although they will not have lost anything either because such an insignificant, cheap, slow and depressing film has not even been released in theaters and surreptitiously passing through digital platforms.A directorial work that also involves the creation of a chemistry between the six leading actors, which, in the case is rarely able of going beyond the screen. This is the type of "theatricalized" productions, a few roles closed at an claustrophobic location, an usual trendy in the recent Spanish cinema , such as: ¨El Test¨, ¨El tiempo de los monstruos¨, ¨El juego de las llaves¨ and ¨Cuánto me queda¨, the later also star Eva Duarte and Antonio Pagudo, where the number of characters is so small and the scenery so limited, the differentiating factor is precisely how well-connected the cast is. The drama and comedy and the situations that arise have to come from total harmony on the part of the actors, and they get partially their purports.The motion picture was mediocrely written/produced/directed by Gerardo Herrero. And winner of special prize of the jury 2003 in Malaga Festival. Gerardo Herrero was President of the Spanish Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (1994-1994) . Great producer of big hits, being especially known for ¨The Secret of your ears¨ (2009), ¨Sin Retorno¨ (2010) , ¨Balada Triste de Trompeta¨ (2010), ¨Crimenes De Oxford¨ (2008) and¨ El Hijo De La Novia¨ (2001). He also directed some good films, such as: ¨Silencio En Nieve¨ , ¨Corredor Nocturno¨ , ¨Principio Arquímedes¨, ¨Crimen Galindez¨ , ¨Frontera Sur¨, ¨Territorio Comanche¨, ¨Desvio a Paraíso¨ , ¨Al Acecho¨ , ¨Heroína¨ and many others. ¨Bajo terapia¨(2023) rating: 4.5/10.
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WRONG FILM. This is some dreadful – and I mean DREADFUL – film called 'Therapy' that I can't even find on IMDB...