**This movie tries very hard to be something
Zalgow
**This movie tries very hard to be something, but fails.** Reading the plot summary, you might think, that this is yet another _Rape & Revenge_ movie. Having…
**This movie tries very hard to be something, but fails.**
Reading the plot summary, you might think, that this is yet another _Rape & Revenge_ movie. Having seen it, I can tell you that it is not.
**Comparison to Martyrs**
That movie actually got my interest as it was compared to _Martyrs_, a movie of the _New French Extreme_ genre. Turned out, it has nothing in common with Laugier's masterpiece.
While _Martyrs_ has a meaning that is transported by the movie and supported by almost every aspect of every scene in the movie, with _Trauma_ it is exactly the opposite.
_Traumas_ scenes are mostly intended to be gory, disturbing or simply disgusting but nothing of this feels linked to the main plot. Some other scenes try to be artistic, but they just seem misplaced in this movie.
**The plot**
Back to the plot: Roja places a lot of interesting puzzle pieces, like the eponymous Trauma that haunts the antagonists. What is the relationship between the four women? Why is it commonly known for the residents and the police (and somehow accepted) that the guys are psychopaths? And many more ...
And that is the point that I was completely disapointed with. The plot develops mostly in illogical ways, that puzzle pieces are thrown on the screen but almost never connect to anything. Rojas seems to be overwehelmed by his own attempt to create a compexity that leaves the audience with that mindfuck feeling when everthing connects at the end. However, with Trauma you will be left with a lot of loose ends dangling around and even more "But Why/what about ...? questions.
**Movie realization**
One aspect about the movie is notable:
The special effects are very good. Not much more to say about it without including Spoilers, but give that SFX team a raise!
The camera/screenplay is kind of inconsitent. Soemtimes it matches the brilliance of the effects and sometimes it just feels wrong. Too shaky, cuts away too fast, ...
The actors are trying their best, the german translation/dubbing varies from mediocre to softporn-like.
**Conclusion**
Those of you who want to see some gory scenes (and nudity) and liked _A Serbian Film_, take a look. Everyone else, watch something else.
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For a film so consumed by painful memories
Simon Foster
"For a film so consumed by painful memories, the most potent act of killing that Trauma imagines is the one that leaves the ghosts of the past behind for…
"For a film so consumed by painful memories, the most potent act of killing that Trauma imagines is the one that leaves the ghosts of the past behind for good..."
Read the full review here: http://screen-space.squarespace.com/reviews/2018/4/19/trauma.html
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★ 6 / 10
Political Horror Wrapped in Brutality
Apireon
Lucio A. Rojas' Trauma (2017) firmly positions itself within a long lineage of transgressive political horror cinema. Following in the footsteps of Pasolini's…
Lucio A. Rojas' Trauma (2017) firmly positions itself within a long lineage of transgressive political horror cinema. Following in the footsteps of Pasolini's Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom and Srdjan Spasojevic's A Serbian Film, Trauma combines the aesthetic of the rape-and-revenge subgenre with an unflinching allegory for Chile's traumatic past under Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship (1973-1990). What results is a film that is both harrowing and thematically ambitious-but also uneven.At its core, Trauma is not a film concerned with subtlety. The story is simple, almost archetypal: four women encounter unimaginable horror during a weekend retreat in rural Chile. But what sets it apart is how Rojas frames that horror-not as random acts of violence, but as the lingering legacy of state-sanctioned brutality. The film's villains are products of dictatorship: emotionally hollow, ideologically corrupted, and psychologically destroyed. Empathy has been stripped from them. They were trained to kill in the name of their country-and once murder becomes routine, reasons no longer matter.This historical and political context is woven into the narrative through flashbacks, which are skillfully integrated. These sequences don't interrupt the flow of the story; they enrich it. They serve as haunting parallels to present-day events, suggesting that the real terror in Trauma is generational-the transmission of violence and ideology from one era to the next.The first half of the film is devastatingly effective. It plunges the viewer into a world of nihilism and pain. The violence is graphic, the tension is suffocating, and the dark, oppressive atmosphere is amplified by an excellent score that enhances the dread without overpowering it. This portion of the film hits hard-visceral, merciless, and impossible to look away from.However, the film loses its momentum in the second half. The revenge arc drags unnecessarily, with pacing that becomes sluggish. Once the initial shock of the first half wears off, the brutality lessens, and the film seems unsure of how to escalate or conclude its narrative effectively. There's a sense that the "gunpowder" was spent too early. While the ending does regain some of the earlier intensity, it's too brief to fully recover the impact.Performance-wise, Daniel Antivilo delivers a chilling turn as the primary antagonist. He embodies the character of a man deeply broken by trauma, yet now capable only of cruelty. There's a cold, calculating hate in him-but also moments of disturbing vulnerability that make his evil feel all the more real. His portrayal is the clear acting highlight of the film.The performances of the female leads are solid. They convincingly portray fear, despair, and hopelessness, especially in the film's early scenes. While the characters themselves are underwritten and largely exist within genre conventions, the actresses do their best with what they're given. That said, don't expect award-caliber performances-this is, after all, an underground horror film. Most of the supporting cast are in and out quickly, as the narrative keeps the focus mostly on the four women and their tormentors.Trauma is a deeply unpleasant experience by design. It doesn't aim to entertain-it seeks to disturb, provoke, and reflect a national trauma through horror. And while it sometimes succeeds, its lack of character depth and the uneven pacing in the latter half keep it from reaching the heights of its influences.Brutal, ambitious, and politically charged, Trauma is not for the faint of heart. It takes real risks in confronting Chile's violent past and should be praised for its daring. But uneven execution and a dragging second act dilute the impact. Still, it's a film that lingers-uncomfortably so-and Rojas is a director to keep an eye on.
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AUDIENCE
4.7/10
4K
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Thanks for this FREEMAN!!! (Y)