Christmas is a time for family. The season of goodwill is the perfect chance for loved ones to gather together and celebrate. It also presents the opportunity for those that have become estranged to start afresh. Sometimes though, even Christmas cannot bridge the gap, and as new Spanish horror You’re Not Me proves, the holiday can be killer.
Writing and directing team Marisa Crespo & Moisés Romera have crafted a nightmarish version of Christmas in You’re Not Me (Tú no eres yo). Their film taps into that hysterical level of frustration, incredulity, and despair that permeated Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! Told over the course of Christmas Eve, the story joins Aitana (Roser Tapias) as she travels home for the holidays. She is joined by her wife Gabi (Yapoena Silva) and their infant son. Aitana hasn’t been home for three years and is using the holiday as an excuse to surprise her family. The surprise ends up being on Aitana however, as upon arrival she is met with a very subdued welcome.
Rather than be happy for the early Christmas gift, she is chastised for having not announced herself as arriving earlier than the pre-agreed New Years. Even worse, her old bedroom has been given to a strange woman called Nadia (Anna Kurikka). As preparations begin for a lavish dinner party, Aitana finds herself increasingly alienated by her parents. Nadia however, is treated like a Queen much to Aitana’s horror. Only her disabled brother Saul (Jorge Motos) appears happy to see her, and against her better judgement she agrees to stay for his sake. It is a decision she will soon come to regret as this is night long and full of secrets.
You’re Not Me is a gratifying suspense laden thriller. That everyone is acting so strange is an immediate red flag to the viewer, but poor Aitana takes their behaviour to heart. Those savvy with the horror genre can make guesses about where the story is headed; a cheeky pre-dinner chat alludes further to true intentions, but Aitana is not privy to this information. Instead she blindly fumbles through a series of uncomfortable and awkward encounters with the people that brought her into the world. She is instantly suspicious of Nadia, her paranoia building after each fresh encounter, but her worries fall on deaf ears. This in turn causes Aitana’s anxiety levels to spike and her frustration is palpable.
Given that the viewer can guess (to a degree) where the narrative is leading, the amount of uncomfortable tension that Crespo and Romera imbue their film with is beautiful. Whilst You’re Not Me never becomes as abstract as Aronofsky’s Mother!, the atmosphere it creates is suffocating. The viewer will at times want to reach into the screen, shake Aitana and tell her to look outside of herself. This yearning eerily mirrors the frustrated feelings of Aitana, Crespo, and Romero making the audience and Aitana, at least on one level, allies.
The performance of Tapias as Aitana is sublime. The actor tows the line just enough that Aitana never strays into the territory of becoming irritating. At all times she ensures Aitana has the viewer’s sympathies. By You’re Not Me’s climatic end, the viewer will be as worn out as Aitana thanks to Tapias’ absorbing performance. That the viewer will feel as emotionally drained and stressed as a fictional character is not easy to pull off, but Tapias is highly skilled with her craft and the connection formed is effortless.
An exciting new take on the Christmas horror, You’re Not Me offers an elegant descent into Hell. With some sublime imagery (details of which cannot be shared), committed performances, and alluring script, You’re Not Me is destined to turn heads at this year’s Fantastic Fest. Wonderfully intense, suffocatingly unnerving, and riddled with suspense, suspicion and paranoia, You’re Not Me is a tortuous viewing experience, but for all the right reasons.
You’re Not Me was reviewed at Fantastic Fest 23.
You’re Not Me
Summary
A merrily disturbing tale of fractured and frayed family dynamics. You think your family is odd at Christmas? You ain’t seen nothing yet.
