I am a big fan of Spanish language cinema, and when I came across The Wait (La espera), I couldn’t wait to watch it. A desperate man takes a job on a rich man’s estate, hoping his family will have a more comfortable life. This decision sends him on a downward spiral into his own personal hell. Director and writer F. Javier Gutiérrez delivers a macabre tale that masterfully blends folk and body horror with the supernatural, psychological, and “the soul of a Western.”- Gutiérrez. The Wait is one of the best films I’ve seen this year and one of two of the bleakest and most extraordinary films from Spain this year.
Ahead of the release, Gutiérrez enthused, “I’m truly excited to share with American audiences this unsettling story of guilt, loss, revenge, and class divides. Deeply human and rich with symbolism and biblical references, The Wait is my most personal and uncompromising film to date…”
“Pay a man enough, and he will walk barefoot into hell.”
It’s 1970, and Don Francisco has hired Eladio (Victor Clavijo) as the groundskeeper to manage the hunting grounds on his estate. He brings his wife Marcia and son Floren to the rural countryside of Andalucía, Spain. Eladio managed ten hunting stands on the property for three years and followed the laws and regulations. However, his marriage is failing because Marcia (Ruth Díaz) is miserable in the countryside and tired of her laborious life, and even his son wants to return to the city.
When Don Carlos (the second authority under Don Francisco) attempts to bribe him into adding three more hunting stands, he initially refuses. The consequences could be deadly if the stands are not properly divided, and/ or he could lose his job. Unbeknownst to Eladio, the devious Don Carlos visits Marcia, hoping to sway Eladio’s mind. He relents and accepts the bribe. Unfortunately, consequences are waiting for him.
The Number Thirteen
It isn’t difficult to conclude that Eladio’s decision will have unforeseen consequences. Marcia makes things worse by calling Eladio a coward, and his hopes for keeping his family together lie in a successful hunt. Floren is thirteen now and has killed his first buck. He earns himself the title of hunting secretary and will accompany one hunting party to ensure they follow safety precautions and hunting laws.
While his wife counts their money, Eladio waits to receive the hunters. His promises to his family quickly fade into the night. He’ll be left alone to deal with his grief in the stillness and quiet of the land. “To live is to suffer…”
“There is no greater punishment for a man with a conscience than his sins.”
After watching La espera, I forced myself to sit quietly and take in the full breadth of the film. At first, I felt heartbroken. Then I got angry. The rich man can lie, cheat, scheme, and still prosper. Where is the fairness? The system itself is set up for him to fail. I lived in poverty as a child, and there was always the hope that we would overcome our circumstances. If you take away someone’s hope, they have nothing. In films, we wait for revenge, the triumph of the underdog, and a happy ending. But that’s not real life.
We are in Eladio’s crumbling world. We go through the steps of grief together. His sorrow, despair, and desire for revenge are ours. The weight of the consequences of his seemingly benign decision is unfathomable. Why him? I couldn’t force myself to blame him. Sometimes, the only light we’ll see is death at the end of all the darkness in our world.
“Your worst sin is that you betrayed yourself for nothing.”
I have a long list of things I love about The Wait, and I find it difficult to find anything to dislike. It’s brutal and bleak. You may not like it, but it’s realistic. Victor Clavijo (Eladio) is superb. His misery and indignation are palpable.
The cinematography is gorgeous, and the landscapes reminded me so much of traveling from Nuevo León to Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosí, México. We’d spend hours traveling on dirt roads, kicking up dirt and sweating all day. The climate was arid, the ranches were miles apart, and the quiet left you vast amounts of time to be alone in your thoughts. I feared the darkness as it consumed the homes and the people scattered around the land. I felt like I was choking on the same dusty air that Eladio was breathing in.
Gutiérrez’s The Wait had a limited theatrical release and will have its North American VOD Release on October 4. I hope to watch this on a big screen someday to better appreciate the wide shots and incredible sound design. Also, check out my list on Letterboxd for an additional 59 great Spanish-language horror movies.
